


One Day

by Blue_wire13



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: AU, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Cliche as Hell, Coffee, College, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, German Eren, Insomnia, M/M, OCD, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Swearing, art majors, french levi, levi can play violin, sarcasm up the ass, songfic occasionally, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-24 21:01:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4935229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_wire13/pseuds/Blue_wire13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eren is going to Scouting Legion University and he is finally free. He has dreamt of this day. This is what he kept strong for all those years. Not the possibility of it getting easier, but the possibility of it getting better. Because it would never get easier, but maybe he could find someone to help carry the burden.</p><p>Edit: temporary hiatus as of 2/19/17</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Because I Can Leave

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, so this is my first fic that I plan on writing multiple chapters for. I know it will probably end up being cliché as hell but I needed to get this out of my head and written somewhere. The title is One Day because college is the only thing keeping me going in this hell called high school. One day I want to make it there. If anyone bothers to read this fic tell me what I can improve on in the comments and I am open to new ideas on where the storyline can go. I hope you get some enjoyment out of my shitty writing.

Eren groaned as he rolled over in his small bed, light filtering in through the window. He could hear Armin and Mikasa in the kitchen banging things around. Probably Mikasa doing some last minute packing on things she knew Eren had forgotten. She was always looking out for him. It could be suffocating at times but he didn't know what he would do without her.

He flung the covers off and sauntered down the hall. Today was the day he and Mikasa got out of the god forsaken house they were in at the moment. Armin had been with them through it all and luckily Mikasa never got the brunt of it by Grisha hated them. More specifically Eren. He would hit Eren around and yell whenever he got drunk(which was often), but Eren was happy it was never Mikasa, so he would endure it.

As he stepped into the living room and joint kitchen he saw Mikasa packing clothes Eren had forgotten in the dryer in his suitcase. He silently thanked the gods for Mikasa, as Grisha wouldn't have been happy to find remnants of Eren. Armin's suitcase along with Mikasa's rested near the front door. 

"Morning Eren. It's already 8:30 and Jean will be here at 9 to pick us up so we can get to the university by 10. You should get ready." Armin chided. Jean, one of their friends from high school, was also going to Scouting Legion University along with their other close friend Marco. Armin was majoring in computer sciences while Mikasa was majoring in English Literature. They both had full rides of course. Eren was majoring in art and minoring in journalism. He had gotten scholarships but he still had a small tuition. He had gotten a job at a café just off of campus called Rose Café so what he earned there would go towards food and school. Grisha of course wouldn't lend a dime so it was all up to Eren to scrape by. Grisha didn't believe art was a real degree and was angry Eren didn't major in law or something along those lines, prodigy child lines.

He hummed in acknowledgment to Armin before racing down the hall to shower and change into socially acceptable clothes. When he got out of the shower he threw on his trademark black skinny jeans and a black shirt with an obscure anime reference on it along with his black doc martens. It wasn't until he was done getting ready that he realized he had worn all black. He loved anime and credited it with getting him through his shitty life. He hurriedly brushed his teeth and attempted to tame the mess on his head that was his hair. He wanted to be gone before Grisha awoke from his drunken stupor.

He bounded into the living room and Mikasa had an apple ready for him as breakfast. A quick text let them know Jean was there and they walked outside, suitcases in tow. Jeans jeep sat idling by the curb. Marco was already in the front seat, he and Jean's suitcases piled in the back.

They flung their things on top of Jean and Marco's before hopping into the topeless jeep wrangler, eager to leave. As Jean pushed the accelerator and the house grew smaller and smaller, Eren felt free.

-

The dorms were chaos. It was co-ed with girls on the left and boys on the right. In the middle of the hall a common room separated the two sides. It was complete with a kitchen a flat screen and couches. Armin hacked the school system and placed all of them on Floor 3. It wasn't too high up the flight of stairs but it didn't have all the foot traffic of the lower levels. It was perfect. Armin had placed he and Eren in a room and Jean and Marco in one. Mikasa was the odd one out so Armin just placed her with a girl named Annie who looked as if she would be compatible with Mikasa based off of her transcripts Armin had found.

Eren plopped down on the bed placed on the right side of the room, leaving the one on the left for Armin. He knew that Armin wouldn't mind. Armin rolled his suitcase over to his bed as he began to unpack his belongings in the dresser that divided the room in half. "I'll take the left drawers and you take the right." Armin said as he neatly folded his clothes into the compact drawers. Eren got up, figuring he should unpack as well. He had just finished making his bed when Jean burst into the room(seeing as the door was open).

"Guys, we have a floor meeting in the common room." Jean called as he was already down the hall with Marco trailing behind him. Eren and Armin exchanged a confused look before following the other two boys down the hall.

The common room was filled with students from their floor but Jean and Marco had saved them seats on the couch. A girl with brown hair and a sandwich in her hands sat next to Marco. They seemed to be talking about something funny as the kid next to the brown haired girl laughed. He was short and had big eyes.

"Guys, this is Sasha and Connie." Jean gestured to the two teens sitting next to him and Marco.

"Hi, I'm Eren." he mumbled. New people made him nervous. He supposed he had Grisha to thank for that. He didn't trust people easily.

"Hey, I'm Armin."

Mikasa appeared out of thin air, a blonde girl next to her, presumably Annie. "Hey, this is Annie. She's my roommate and she's cool. She is majoring in physical therapy and sports medicine." Mikasa explained.

Everyone exchanged names and numbers and it turned out Annie already knew Sasha from their previous school. Two other girls named Krista, who had blonde hair and ice blue eyes, and Ymir, who was tall and had dark brown hair, introduced themselves as they all sat waiting for the meeting to begin. Three boys introduced themselves as well as Riener, Bertdolt, and Thomas. Eren was slightly overwhelmed by all the new people but was also happy because they all seemed nice and accepting.

As the meeting began a tall blonde with some of the most on point eyebrows Eren had ever seen went to stand in front of the new first years. "Hi guys, my name is Erwin, I'm a junior and I am here to tell you to basically not fuck up. Keep the common room clean, don't procrastinate, study, blah blah yah. Have fun you guys. You're in college now." He sauntered off down the hall laughing to himself about freshman, climbing the stairs to talk to Floor 4. An adult stepped up to explain how girls and guys couldn't sleep in the same room and how curfew was 12.

Once the meeting was over Sasha stood abruptly. "Hey you guys lets go get food! I finished my sandwich and I am still starving."

I second that notion! There's a small diner down the street from campus." Connie exclaimed.

"Perfect." Krista said, dragging Ymir up from the couch.

They all headed down the stairs. Eren was shy, but he felt like he had known these people for years. He felt like he could open up and be honest with them.

They crashed into the diner causing the noise level to go from a 4 to a solid 10. Eren doubted the owners of the diner minded though, seeing as their business was right down the street from campus they were most likely used to it. They chose a booth in the back corner so the seat formed a big U shape. The waiter came and took their order and Sasha was practically drooling already.

"So what are you guys majoring in?" Armin inquired "I'm in computer sciences and Eren is in art.

"Oh cool!" Krista shouted, startling Ymir next to her. "I'm in Literature and Ymir is majoring in calculus."

"Oh I'm in Literature too." Mikasa offered.

"Marco and I are both in Psyche." Jean piped up from across the table.

"Connie and I are both in culinary arts of course." Sasha explained, just in time for their food to arrive. "Foooooooood!" she exclaimed, nearly making the waiter fall from shock.

"Are you guys in any relationships at the moment?" Connie asked as he wiggled his eyebrows and smirked.

"Ymir and I are together." Krista said, a sheepish smile on her face. "I hope you guys are ok with that." Everyone quickly reassured her it was fine.

Marco looked at Jean, a question in his gaze. "Marco and I are actually together." Jean said, giving Marco a reassuring smile. Marco visibly relaxed next to Jean.

Mikasa laughed, "Damn Marco, I don't know how you put up with him and all his shit.

There was a round of laughter at the table. They talked for a few more hours, getting to know each other better. 'College will be fun.' Eren thought to himself as he looked at all the new amazing people he had met in just a few short hours.

-

As they walked back to their dorms Eren smiled. He looked up at the sky, relishing in the moons light. It was a full moon and he took that as a good sign.

He and Armin waved goodbye to everyone as they all arrived at their dorm doors, the girls parting ways with the boys to go down the hall. He suddenly felt extremely tired, but in a good way, today had been a good day.

"Goodnight Eren." Armin said as he climbed into his bed, pulling the covers over his head.

"Night Ar." Eren mumbled. He had ditched his clothes and immediately jumped into bed. He sighed as his head hit the pillow. It was the beginning of a new life. Classes wouldn't start for another week, but Eren had his first day of work tomorrow. He was nervous but also excited. He was finally free.

-

Eren awoke to the sound of his alarm blaring. He could hear Armin groan from across the room. He reached over and turned it off before rolling deeper into the covers. 'Wait, why was Armin here?' Grisha was going to kill him. He shot up and was momentarily disoriented when his surroundings weren't his usual room. This wasn't his bed. Then it all came flooding back to him. He was in college, safe in his dorm, and he had work in an hour.

Grabbing his clothes and shower kit he ran down the hall, speeding through his morning routine. When he got back to his room Armin was up and moving.

"Hey Ar. I have work right now but I'm off at 1. Do you want to catch lunch?"

"Ya that sounds good. I was planning on going out to lunch with Jean and Marco anyways. We can all go together." Armin suggested.

"Sounds good Armin. I'll see you then!" Eren called over his shoulder as he left.

"Bye Eren! Do well!" Armin called.

-

Immediately upon entering Rose Café Eren was jumped by a girl with short auburn hair. "Hi! I'm Petra! You must be the new kid they just hired! I'll show you how to work all the machines and prepare all the drinks."

While Petra explained to Eren how all the machines and equipment worked, a man had come in and sat at one of the barstools along the barista counter. Eren couldn't help it as his eyes drifted to the man every once in awhile. He had black hair that looked silky and smooth, along with an undercut and silver grey eyes that at the moment, were boring a hole in the counter in front of him.

Ok Eren! You're good to go!" Petra's voice brought him out of his daze of staring. "Sorry for the wait Levi, just showing the new kid the ropes." Petra began mixing various liquids until some sort of tea was produced. "Here you are." The man. Levi, Eren now knew, just hummed in response, taking the drink from the rim by his fingertips. 'He must come here often.'

Petra leaned over the counter, speaking to Levi. A group of college students entered and Eren moved over to the register so he could help them. When he finished ringing them up and making their orders he noticed two other people had joined Levi and Petra. One was a wild looking girl with short brown hair and glasses. The other was none other than blonde haired blue eyed eyebrows from the meeting yesterday. If Eren remembered correctly his name was Erwin.

"Eren! Come meet my friends and our regular customers." Petra called.

Eren walked over, "Hi." he lowered his head blushing slightly. He could feel his face heating up.

"Hey, you were one of the freshman yesterday right? Floor 3." Erwin offered with a smile. "Do you remember me?"

"Ya." Eren smiled politely. Erwin was big and tall. He made Eren slightly nervous.

"I'm Hange!" the girl with the glasses screamed. "It's always fun meeting new people! I'm majoring in biochemical engineering. What are you majoring in?"

"Oh that's cool." Eren offered meekly. "I'm majoring in art." Hange was a little too loud for his liking but he could get used to it.

"Levi is majoring in art too! Did you hear that Levi! Eren majors in art too!" Hange said with too much enthusiasm.

"Shut it shitty glasses." Levi deadpanned.

"Always such a buzzkill Levi." Hange huffed, putting her head in her hands and resting her elbows on the counter in a mock pout.

"So how are you settling in?" Erwin inquired, breezing on by Levi's comment as if it was an everyday thing. Maybe it was, Eren had no idea.

"It's nice,"Eren offered,"I room with my best friend and all my friends are on the same floor as me." Customers came in and Petra left to tend to them. Eren just stood there blushing and averting his eyes from Levi, who was blatantly staring at Eren.

"Levi, it's rude to stare at people." Petra laughed as she slid down the counter towards the group, breaking the tension.

"Oi brat, what color are your eyes?" Levi asked, ignoring Petra.

Ummm, they're turquoise, like the ocean."

"Hmm." Levi hummed in acknowledgement.

"Always friendly, aren't we Levi?" Erwin chuckled.

Eren looked at the clock. It was 12:55. Petra saw him glancing at the clock.

"I won't keep you Eren." she laughed. "Your shift is at the same time tomorrow. You can meet Mike, he is on the same shift as us tomorrow too.

"Ok, thank you Petra." Eren waved. He had only spoken to them briefly, but he liked them. And Levi, he couldn't stop thinking about him. His eyes were incredible. Eren would love to draw him. Charcoal would a good way to capture the grey irises and the hollow cheekbones.

Eren arrived at the restraint, almost passing it up as he thought of Levi. He blushed even though no one could hear his thoughts. Armin, Jean, and Marco already had a table. As he sat down Armin looked at him expectantly. "So...How did it go?"

"It was good. The girl I will be on shift with, Petra, she is nice. She introduced me to her friends who always come in and they seem cool too. They are all third years and get this, one of them is eyebrows from yesterday." Eren laughed.

Jean burst out in laughter, "Oh my god! What was his name again?"

"Erwin." Marco answered, playfully rolling his eyes.

"I think he's kind of hot." Armin said, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

"Oooooohhhhh and Armin bites it for eyebrows!" Jean screamed making the waiter who was coming with their food nearly trip and fall from the unexpected outburst.

"Who else was there?" Marco asked, kindly trying to divert the attention from Armin.

"There was a girl with glasses named Hange and a guy named Levi. Levi majors in art too and Hange majors in biochemical engineering."

"Levi is hot isn't he? Jean said, a knowing look on his face. He had know Eren far too long to know the blush that was on his cheeks when he came in wasn't for nothing and Jean had been waiting for the perfect time to ask about it.

"Uhmmm...uhhh...well...I-I mean, ya.... he's uhhh... hot." Eren stuttered. He was pretty sure his face now looked like a tomato.

"Oh it's perfect Eren, since he is majoring in art too." Armin offered.

"Ya except he probably isn't gay. Plus he doesn't seem to be a people person. I think he hates me." Eren sighed, casting his eyes to the ground.

"You never know. Don't worry Eren, I'm sure its ok. You can't hate someone you have just met." Marco said reassuringly.

"I beg to differ!" Jean shouted. "I hated Jeagar on the first day of kindergarden."

"And look at how much you guys love each other now." Armin laughed.

They bantered back and forth while they ate, enjoying their Hawaiian pizza they had ordered. Being four college boys the pizza was demolished within five minutes; a new record for them.

"Hey Eren, let's stop by that café you work at on the way back." Marco suggested.

"Ya you can introduce us to Levi." Jean said smirking.

"Uhhh...ok...umm, I just got off shift two hours ago though." Eren said as he stretched his hands behind his head in an attempt to cover his nervousness. He led his friends out of the diner and to Rose Café and possibly his death. He prayed that Levi wouldn't be there.

-

The fragrant smell of coffee wafted into Eren's nose when the door to the café opened. Levi, Hange, Erwin, and Petra all still huddled around the counter talking. Hange swiveled in her chair as if sensing Eren's presence. "Eren! Back so soon! Did you miss us that much?" Hange screamed as she pulled Eren into a tight hug. Looking over her shoulder Eren could see Levi wince for Hange's loud outburst.

"Ya," Eren said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "My friends wanted coffee, so we came here."

"And tea." Armin butted in.

"Of course!" Petra said as she took their orders and began making them.

"I'm Hange, this is Erwin, and the party pooper over there is Levi."

"Party pooper? More like satans incarnate." Erwin laughed, flashing Armin a smile.

"Tch. Shut it shitty glasses. Sorry for her loudness, I promise you she is always this fucking annoying." Levi quipped from his slouched position on the barstool. He swirled his drink around before swigging down the rest. He held the cup from the rim by his fingertips. He stood abruptly and Eren realized how short Levi was. It only served to accentuate his swift movements and sharp features. Somehow it was fitting.

"I have to go Petra. I'll be here tomorrow." Levi turned on his heel and waved over his shoulder as he left the warmth of the shop.

"Does he hate me already?" Eren nervously laughed, thrown off by Levi's sudden leave.

"No, he just has to get used to new people. He isn't the most trusting." Petra smiled, giving Erwin and Hange a knowing look.

Erwin and Armin began talking about god knows what. He distantly heard Jean and Marco occasionally voicing their opinions on the subject matter but Eren was looking at his coffee, thinking about Levi. The blunt man kept drawing his attention. His steel grey irises were beautiful. 'Do I like Levi?' Eren thought as his took a sip of his coffee.

Eren had known he was gay since the beginning of high school. It was even part of the reason Grisha hit him. He wanted a son that was smart and would get a fancy degree and have a wife with perfect kids. Eren had been scared to tell Mikasa and Armin until they told him they were gay sophomore year. It was kind of funny how they were all gay. Even Jean had come out to Eren when they met Marco junior year when he transferred to their school.

"Hey Eren," Armin broke him out of his reverie," Erwin and I are going to get ice cream. Do you want to come with? Jean and Marco are heading back to the dorms." Armin sent Eren a pleading look. One only Eren would understand. It meant: I'm only asking to be polite, go with Jean and Marco, we will catch up later.

Eren took the hint. "No I'm fine, thank you. Have fun." he said chuckling as the two blondes left the shop.

Jean stood and Marco soon followed. "Lets go Eren. We will drop you off at the dorms."

"Ok sounds good. I will see you tomorrow Petra" Eren rose. He glanced outside through the window to see a dark sky and stars. 'When had it gotten so late?' he chuffed to himself as they walked outside into the cool air. Levi really was distracting. They had only just met and he already was consuming Eren's thoughts.

"I wish we had the jeep." Jean grumbled, pulling his jacket around himself tighter.

"It's worse with the jeep when there isn't a top on it." Marco laughed.

Fall was upon them and the leaves had begun changing. The brisk night air made Eren wish for his jacket he knew was draped over his desk chair in his dorm. As the dorm building came into view Eren shivered, glad they were home. Home. This was his new home. Away from Grisha. The pain was still with him, and it would probably never leave him, but now he had a fresh start of sorts, and lots of new friends.

"I think Marco and I will head over to the park to freeze our asses off some more. Catch you tomorrow Jeagar?"

"Ya. Try not to die horseface." Eren smirked. "I'm counting on you freckled jesus."

"Will do." Marco laughed.

"Shut up." Jean grumbled as they walked away into the night.

Eren just laughed as he ducked into the dorms, climbing the stairs to Floor 3.

When he made it safely inside he turned up the small radiator that came standard to each room. The clock read 7:30. It was still much too early to go to sleep, not to mention some nights Eren got insomnia that kept him up until 3:00. He started his laptop and plopped on his bed. Anime always helped wind him down. He could relate to all the characters in some intimate way, they gave him the strength to push forward. As he turned on his newest addition to his shows list: God Eater, his mind kept drifting to Levi. He shut his computer; it was better not to watch then to watch and be confused because you weren't paying attention.

He needed a walk to clear his head. He threw on his denim jacket that complimented his dark green shirt and usual black skinny jeans. The jacket paired with his doc martens should keep the cold away. He put his earbuds in and flipped through his playlists a few times before deciding on one titled "Life Reflection".

Memory Gospel by Moby began to play as he walked across the dark campus. He didn't know where he was going, as he had only got on campus yesterday, but he didn't mind. He just needed music and the cold fall air to clear his mind.

The bright orbs lit up the night sky. He was looking up at the moon, or rather the lack of one. A few stray clouds drifted across the sky, covering the moon. This only served to make the stars shine brighter, lighting up the blue sky. 'Maybe it would rain soon.'

Walking while looking up at the sky isn't the best of ideas, paired with blasting music and you really have no idea of your surroundings. Eren was knocked flat on his ass when he ran into a solid chest. Dazed, he pulled out his earbuds. He blushed, struggling to stand since he was flustered. As he raised his eyes to the figure standing before him he realized the solid chest he had run into was none other than Levi.

Shit.


	2. Because I Can Stay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here is the second chapter. I'm trying to develop all of the characters and their relationships right now. As always let me know how I can improve and where you want this to go. Enjoy! Also a slight panic attack ensues so trigger warning I guess.

"I-I I'm so sorry!" Eren stuttered. "I was looking up at the sky and-"

"Oi brat, you work with Petra right?"

'Oh my god. How had a Levi knocked me on my ass! He's smaller than me!' Eren thought as he stood shakily.

"Um ya, at Rose Café." Eren managed to choke out in his shock.

"What the hell are you doing by the junior dorms?" Levi asked, a bored expression on his face, though Eren was beginning to realize this was just how Levi normally looked.

"Oh umm, I was just going for a walk to clear my head." Eren shifted uncomfortably under Levi's scrutinizing gaze.

"Well don't just stand there. It's fucking freezing. Let's go grab some coffee. There's a small café that's not complete shit here on campus." Levi didn't wait for a reply as he began to walk away and Eren hurried to follow.

As Eren raced to catch up his turquoise eyes were alight with curiosity. Levi's demeanor was interesting and his silver eyes were intriguing.

A faint "Tch" could be heard from Levi's lips and Eren looked over scared he had done something to upset the raven haired man.

"Damn cold weather." Levi huffed, steam curling from his mouth.

Eren let out a small chuckle but stopped immediately, heat rising to his face and ears. Levi had gotten him to let his guard down, which never happened unless Eren had known someone for a long time, like Armin, Mikasa, Jean and Marco.

"You should smile more often brat. It suits you." Levi said, a ghost of a smile on his lips. Eren blushed further and his face felt like fire compared to the cold night air around them.

When Levi opened the door to the café a warm blast of air washed over them, ridding them of their chills from the fall weather. Eren welcomed it with open arms. The seasons had seemed to shift on them suddenly.

He looked up from his shoes to see Levi looking at him expectantly. Only then did he realize they were at the register and the barista was patiently waiting to take his order.

"Oh um, sorry. I'll have a carmel latte." he stammered.

The barista just laughed and jotted down his order as he and Levi searched for a table. They found one in the back, secluded from the few other students in the café.

"So," Levi started, taking a seat across from Eren,"How did you come to pursue art at our lovely Scouting Legion University." The sarcasm was dripping from his voice.

"Well, uhh, I uhh... I like anime and so that got me drawing seriously again when I was fifteen, but uh ever since I was little I have liked to draw."

The barista dropped off their drinks before returning the their post behind the counter. They looked bored.

Levi nodded in acknowledgement. "What about you? What got you into art?" Eren inquired. Usually he wasn't this open or talkative, but Levi drew him in, he wanted to know everything about the raven haired junior. He made Eren forget all of his worries about Grisha.

"Well I'm French so it's in my blood." Levi joked.

No way! I didn't know that. You don't have an accent."

"I've trained myself over the years to not speak with one. It got too annoying to have dumbasses keep asking me where I was from in public. I can still speak with my accent though of course." Levi said the last sentence with a French accent, over annunciating the I's and speaking slightly nasally on the r in course.

"Oh that makes sense." Eren laughed. Levi speaking in his French accent was hot. "My mom was actually from Germany and she came to the US when she was in her twenties. She was the one who taught me how to draw when I was little and I grew up speaking German with her. She died when I was eight and so I grew out of drawing until I found anime when I was fifteen."

"Mhmm."Levi hummed, "And your father?"

Eren visibly flinched, not able to cover his pain quick enough. He shrunk in on himself, just trying to disappear, as he clutched his coffee to his chest. "H-He's uhh, h-he's-"

"Don't sweat it kid. I never met my dad. I get it." Levi didn't know why Eren reacted how he did but based on his actions he had seen some shit so Levi decided to lay that subject to rest.

"What about your mother." Eren said, trying to resume his façade of normality.

"She died when I was five. I went to live with my uncle for a bit after that but eventually I just ended up on the streets of Lyon France."

"Sounds...hard."

"It wasn't too bad...I made it here after all."

They talked for what seemed like forever. They talked about anything and everything, both just eager to soak up information about the other.

Levi shot a quick glance at the clock, hiding his astonishment that it read 9:30. "Oi brat, it's getting late. We can continue tomorrow if you want. When does your shift with Petra end?"

"I get off at one."

"Want to grab lunch?"

"Actually, Armin, Jean, Marco and I were going to get lunch. You can join us if you want." Eren blushed, suddenly finding the hem of his jacket very interesting.

"That would be great. I'll meet you at Rose and we can head out from there."

"Ok, I'll see you then.

"Good luck sleeping now brat." Levi smirked. Eren realized Levi had thought ahead and got a calming tea while Eren had gotten a fucking latte.

Eren laughed and waved to Levi as they headed in opposite directions. 'As if my insomnia isn't bad enough.' Eren thought has he pulled his jacket tighter around himself, wishing he was still with Levi.

-

Eren was greeted by Armin when he finally reached his dorm room. It was now 10:30. A whole hour since he had left Levi. This was due to the fact that Eren had gotten lost a few times.

"Hey Eren." Armin greeted. "Have you been at Rose this whole time?"

"No, I uh came home with Jean and Marco but then I decided to go for a walk."

"Eren it's freezing! Don't tell me you've been walking this whole time!"

"No, no! I bumped into Levi and we went to the café on campus and talked for awhile." Eren blushed, casting his eyes downwards.

"Undercut Levi? From Rose Café?"

"Ya, he is actually nice once you talk to him for a bit. And he is French." Eren's eyes visibly lit up as he spoke. "And we talked about art too, Armin. Can he come to lunch with us tomorrow?"

"Of course! But Mikasa is coming too, just a heads up. You should let her know Levi is coming so its not a surprise tomorrow." Armin wanted Eren to be happy. It had been awhile since Armin had seen his eyes light up like that.

"Mikasa!?!" Mikasa was very protective of Eren and Armin. She didn't take kindly to strangers so introducing her to Levi was going to be hard. Levi's blunt personality didn't help the situation either. "Armin, could you be the bestest brother ever and text Mikasa the Levi is coming." Eren didn't ask for favors often so he was sure Armin would do it.

"Ugh fine." Armin relented, picking up his phone. "But you owe me because I'm sure I am going to get a 30 minute lecture on strangers and being careful and 20 questions on who Levi is."

"I know, I know. Thanks Ar." Eren said as he flung his clothes off and flopped into bed. Armin did the same and as they lay in their beds Eren decided now would be a good time to catch up on Food Wars and Charlotte. They were the two anime he was watching at the moment. He opted for Charlotte first because it was sad so he could end on Food Wars, which was happy. He was trying to go to bed not on the verge of tears thank you very much.

He didn't even bother with headphones as he watched. Armin was reading a book on his bed but they were both so used to each others presence that one never disturbed the other.

When Eren was finally all caught up he let out a sigh. Charlotte was now over with a respectable 13 episodes and had ended so bittersweet. Food Wars ended at 24 episodes and Eren was definitely going to keep his eyes peeled for a second season. The clock said it was 2:00am. Armin had long fallen asleep with his book open and resting on his chest. Eren summed up the strength to get up and dog ear Armin's page and set the book on his desk. He turned off the light and crawled back into his bed.

He lay staring at the ceiling, willing himself to sleep. Along with the darkness came the thoughts. Thoughts that plagued him and haunted him. Thoughts of how Grisha had hurt him, cut him and bruised him in places teachers at school wouldn't see. Grisha was the reason Eren had stopped drawing when he was eight. Grisha would tear up Eren's drawings, throwing them in the trash, yelling about how Eren should do something productive. He wanted him to go to college for pre med or law but Eren had straight B's. These arguments flared and got worse when Eren began to draw again at fifteen. He began to have to hide his drawings and supplies so Grisha wouldn't find them.

Eren turned toward the wall, curling in on himself. The memories were too painful. He tried to will the thoughts away but they just got worse. His chest tightened and he could no longer breathe properly. Tears pricked in the corners of his eyes. He thought of Grisha hitting him, grabbing him and throwing him down. He remembered the day it got so bad Grisha had cracked his wrist and Eren couldn't draw for weeks.

This was usually how nights went for him. Lay there, think, remember, cry and suffocate, then fall asleep from exhaustion. He suffered in silence. He didn't want to burden anyone. Armin was asleep at the moment and wasn't used to spending nights with Eren and Mikasa already felt bad enough for not being able to do anything for Eren when he was abused by Grisha. He didn't want her to feel worse when she found out he had panic attacks as well.

A small whimper escaped him as he clutched his chest, trying to gulp down air silently as to not wake Armin. Eren thought of how it would burden Armin if he woke him up and immediately he could breathe slightly better. Thinking of being a burden always pulled Eren out of his attacks for the most part. It was like a switch flipped in his head and he went numb to his emotions almost. It still hurt but it was more manageable.

He wiped the tears from his eyes before turning back over to face the rest of the room. His eyelids drifted shut from exhaustion and he finally gave in to sleep. He didn't dream and he was glad. They were usually nightmares.

-

He awoke to an empty dorm room. 'Armin probably went to breakfast with Mikasa.' Eren was grateful they hadn't woken him up. Armin probably figured Eren had been up late at night watching anime and he wouldn't be wrong.

As he showered he let the warm water run down his body, hoping the water would somehow erase the pain that had been brought up last night. He clenched his jaw, closing his eyes, willing himself to breathe. 'Today will be a good day.' He thought, determination shining in his blue irises.

He walked down the hall, his towel wrapped around his waist. When he reached his dorm he pulled on his jeans and laced up his boots, throwing on a grey shirt. As an after thought he grabbed his green jacket.

The walk to the café was chilly and he was glad he brought his jacket. When he opened the door to the shop Petra greeted him with a small smile. He was a few minutes early as the clock read 7:55 but his shift didn't start till 8:00. This time was late to him as he never slept in despite the fact that he went to bed so late, some nights not sleeping at all.

A blonde man came out from behind the counter. He was tall. "Hi Ere, I'm Mike."

"Not so loud Mike. It's too early for this. How are you guys functioning?" Petra said, laying her head on the counter.

"Hi." Eren replied as he wrapped his apron around his waist and shrugging off his jacket.

They tended to the hordes of students and teachers who came in for their daily dose of caffeine. In between rushes they made small talk. Eren found out that Petra and Mike had met Levi, Erwin, and Hange their freshman year of college. As if on que Levi and Hange came in.

"Hey guys. Where's Erwin?" Petra asked as she wiped down a table.

"Tch. The hell if I know." Levi said, taking a seat at his usual spot along the counter.

Hange took her seat and Eren began making their drinks. Petra had told him what they were and how to make them the day before. She said they never really changed what they got. They idly chatted as Eren, Petra, and Mike alternated zipping back and forth to the register ringing people up and making drinks. When the clock struck one Eren was surprised. Time had flown by. He turned in his apron and met Levi, who was already at the door waiting patiently.

"Ooooooo, where are you two going?" Hange asked as she bounced up and down in her seat.

Levi didn't even dignify her with a response, choosing to just walk out, Eren scrambling after him.

Vibrant orange leaves blew past them as they walked to the Thai restaurant Armin had decided on. His hands fidgeted with the hem of his jacket, his shoulder brushing against Levi's as they walked down the narrow sidewalk. He was nervous for Mikasa to meet Levi. 'Why are you so nervous. Snap out of it Eren. Its not like you're dating him. You're just friends.'

"Why are you nervous brat?" Levi quipped from beside him.

"H-how did you-"

"Your hands haven't left the bottom of your jacket and you look like you've seen a ghost." he smirked.

"Oh. Well, umm, my sister Mikasa might be a bitch to you but don't take it personally. She just has to get used to you. She's like that with all new people."

"Understandable."

As the restaurant came into view Eren grew even more nervous. When they stepped inside they saw Jean and Marco had already snagged a table but Armin and Mikasa were still absent. 'Strange.' he thought as they took their seats.

They greeted each other and made small talk and Eren was happy everyone was getting along so far. Jean and Marco had only met Levi briefly before at Rose Café so now was the real test. Mikasa appeared out of no where as usual and took her seat next to Jean and Marco across from Levi and Eren. She introduced herself to Levi and Eren let out a breath he hadn't know he was holding. Whatever Armin had texted her had apparently convinced her to not be a complete savage.

"Where's Ar?" she asked.

"He's still not here." Eren said, slightly worried. Armin was never late.

"I'm right here!" Armin said, rushing in to take his seat beside Eren. He sent Eren an apologetic look for leaving Eren alone with Mikasa. Eren sent him a small smile back, assuring him that it has been going well.

"Where the hell where you Armin?" Jean asked, unable to keep the worry from his voice. "You're usually never late."

"I was actually with Erwin." Armin said sheepishly, a blush dusting his cheeks.

"Eyebrows!?!" Jean exclaimed, Marco laughing beside him.

Eren looked over, horrified. Leave it to his friends to make fun of Levi's best friend in the first five minutes of their meal.

"His eyebrows are pretty fucking great." Levi quipped. "That was my nickname for him back in high school."

Eren relaxed next to Levi, glad he wasn't offended.

"What did you guys do?" Marco asked.

"We drove to the nearest tech store. I needed a new hard drive for my desktop. Erwin has a car so he offered to drive me. I still haven't set up my desktop back at the dorms. Will you help me Eren?"

"Sure Ar. Leave it to me, the one majoring in art." Eren laughed.

"Don't worry, all you have to do is stand there and hold a few wires.

The waitor took everyone's order and they all decided to share a buffet meal in the middle of the table.

"So you two are siblings?" Levi asked pointing to Eren and Mikasa.

"Ya, we took Mikasa when we were six."

"Mhmm." Levi knew all about family ties that went beyond blood.

They all bantered and chatted back and forth for a few hours as the sun dipped lower and lower into the sky. When they all said their goodbyes it was 4:00.

Marco and Jean walked back to the dorms and Levi was getting into a red Toyota corolla that was being driven by Hange. She had pulled up to the curb and was waving to Eren from her seat.

"Bye, Eren. I'll see you tomorrow at Rose?" Levi asked as he got into the car.

Eren mentally went through the days. He realized it was Friday which meant tomorrow was Saturday. "Uh no actually. Sorry I'm not on shift tomorrow." Eren said, his eyes falling to his feet as he shuffled. He wanted to see Levi but he felt like he couldn't ask him to hangout.

"Mhmm. Here's my number then. I'll text you later brat." Levi said as they exchanged numbers.

Eren bounced excitedly next to Armin as they walked back to the dorm.

"I haven't seen you this happy in awhile." Armin said, looking over at Eren.

"I think I like him Ar." Eren said sheepishly. He blushed even though he was used to Armin. "I just can't get him out of my head. But...I know he probably doesn't like me. He probably isn't even gay."

"Eren, you will never know unless you try." Armin gave him a reassuring smile.

-

They reached their dorm and Armin immediately began unpacking boxes filled with what appeared to be blankets and bubble wrap. On further inspection Eren saw that under the blankets and bubble wrap there was wires and computer parts. For the last few days Armin had been using his laptop but Eren knew he preferred his desktop as it could handle more even though Armin had modified his laptop to be able to hack too.

Armin dusted off his desk before placing a huge monitor on the now clean surface. "Hold these." he said as he handed Eren a bunch of wires. The wires were connected to a tower. The tower was of course also custom, as Armin had switched out some parts for ones he had made himself. He took the wires from Eren one at a time, plugging them in to their spots in the moniter and other assorted things Eren knew nothing about. The keyboard as well as a gaming headset got hooked up and that's the last thing that got attached that Eren knew what it did. The rest was just a mass of wires and "computer stuff".

When they finally finished 2 hours later Eren placed his laptop on his own cluttered desk. It was covered in manga volumes. "Now we're done." Eren joked.

Eren was no where near as techy as Armin. Armin's grandfather had taught him code when he was ten after his parents had died in a tragic car accident. Eren remembers sitting at their table at lunch, him covering his bruises and Armin memorizing code, Mikasa watching over them. Armin picked things up quickly and could analyze a situation and find the best possible solution so he became an adept hacker.

"Thanks Ar."

"Always..." Armin said. He knew Eren was no longer talking about anything that had just happened. Eren was creative and his mind moved quickly and in the past, present, and future quickly. Armin knew he must have been reflecting on a memory.

Simultaneously, a text appeared on Eren and Armin's phones. It was from Sasha and read:

Come to the common room! Connie and I are making FOOD! LIKE SHIT TONS OF IT! We need people to decide whose is better.

Eren and Armin just looked at each other before clamoring down the hall towards the common room. College students will never refuse free food. As soon as they reached within ten feet of the room the smell of delicious food washed over them.

Sasha looked over her shoulder, greeting them, before returning to sautéing what appeared to be shrimp. "This is just like Food Wars!" Eren screamed, earning a laugh from everyone there. krista, Ymir, Riener, everyone was there.

"Connie, what are you making?" Armin inquired.

"Curry buns!" Connie replied as he stirred a pot of curry.

"Ok Prince Soma." Eren said, laughing at his own Black Butler reference.

"You and your damn anime!" Jean said as he and Marco came in.

"Awe! Who the hell invited horseface? Eren said, but he couldn't keep a straight face as everyone began laughing.

They all took their places around the island counter as Mikasa and Annie joined them.

Connie brought out the most perfect looking curry buns Eren had ever seen for everyone. He was just waiting for the anime sparkles to appear around the round bun. Sasha's saute shrimp dish with diced potatoes looked equally good.

Ask he ate flavors exploded in his mouth. 'These two aren't culinary arts majors for nothing.' He alternated between Connie's dish and Sasha's, relishing in the goodness of it all.

Few words were exchanged as forks scraped plates. "So whose was better?" Sasha and Connie asked as soon as everyone finished.

"I can't decide." Armin said and everyone agreed.

"They were both equally delicious." Eren said.

"Well that makes another fucking tie." Connie laughed.

As they helped clean up the kitchen Marco piped up, "We should do this again next Saturday guys."

Everyone agreed and decided to share the cost for ingredients next time. Sasha and Connie both vowed to destroy the other next time.

It had gotten late and as he and Armin walked back to their dorms he sighed contentedly. His new friends really were great. When he was with them, he didn't feel so sad and hurt. They eased his pain. Made him forget.

As he lay down to "sleep", his thoughts flicked to Levi again. His insomnia kicked in and he mulled over his thoughts. Levi hadn't texted him. He thought of texting him but stopped himself when he realized what time it was. He really liked Levi. He lay awake until sunlight filtered in through the window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it. The next chapter will be from Levi's POV and it will be short so I will try to get it up close to this one so you guys don't have to wait a whole week for a small chapter. Chapter 4 is already in the works so expect more of my shitty writing soon. Still trying to develop backstories and relationships and all that. As always, leave your ideas and suggestions.


	3. Because He Scares Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I told you I would get this up before the week was over. I just took the PSAT and man lets not get into that. Good news is chapter 4 is written and I will get it up soon. I will try to stay ahead as far as writing a chapter ahead of what is being posted here so this fic gets updated regularly. (we all need schedules dammit) I hope you enjoy. This is from Levi's POV.

Lunch with the brats hadn't been as bad as he thought it would be. Eren's blonde friend, Armin, was why Erwin wasn't at Rose earlier. Armin had a certain charm to him, if that was your type, so Levi supposed it fit if he and Erwin developed a thing. It wasn't his business what Erwin did in his free time anyway.

They all were exiting the restaurant and Jean and Marco headed off in one direction and Mikasa hugged Eren before going her own way. He had texted Hange earlier to pick him up since he and Eren had walked here. Much to his relief she pulled up right on time. It was cold as fuck and as the sun dipped in the sky their breath began to curl from their mouths.

"Bye Eren. I'll see you tomorrow at Rose?" Levi asked as he ducked into Hange's car. He watched, slightly amused as Eren's face scrunched up in thought.

Uh no actually. Sorry, I'm not on shift tomorrow."

Levi hid his disappointment. "Mhmm. Here's my number then. I'll text you later brat." Levi said, grabbing Eren's phone to type in his number. He then plugged Eren's number into his own phone.

Hange just stared at him as they drove back to Levi's apartment. The orange and yellow trees blurred by. "Watch the road shitty glasses. Your eyesight is bad enough already."

Hange just smiled. "Levi, you like him, don't you?"

"No, I don't."

"Levi, its ok to care for people. After all that you've been through you deserve love. Don't even bother denying that you like him because it took you 6 months to give me your phone number.

Levi hid the wince threatening to make itself known at the mention of his past. Some things were better left behind him.

They sat in silence until Hange pulled up to the apartment. "He likes you Levi. I know it. Go for it. The Levi I know doesn't back down."

"Tch."

Hange just smiled and pulled away from the curb. She knew Levi's rough demeanor was just his way of covering up the fact that he cares. She knew her words impacted him and she hoped he listened to them.

-

Levi left his boots by the door and sat on the couch. He turned on his blue tooth speaker and scrolled through his music, deciding on M83's wait. He scrolled on his phone until he came to Eren's contact. He wanted to text him, but he feared the feelings he already felt would be amplified. Caring for people hurt too much. The only people he had let get close since he came to this god forsaken country were Erwin and Hange. The only reason they had gotten close to him was because Hange had squeezed her way in and Erwin had followed.

He threw his phone on the otherside of the couch so he wouldn't be tempted to text Eren. 'Sulking isn't the answer. The world won't stop revolving.' He got up and walked over to his art area. His apartment had an open floor plan, his living room and kitchen were connected and to the left was a small bathroom and straight ahead was his bedroom which contained a master bathroom.

As he sat down he pulled out his sketchbook. Grabbing his HB pencil he let his hand move freely over the paper, losing himself in the lines. He reached for a darker graphite and went over certain lines blending it out with his blending stumps. A quick sketch became a detailed drawing and he found himself using his Primacolors to fill it in. He hands froze and he was jolted back to reality. He couldn't find the color he was looking for. This rarely happened to him. Pulling back he realized he was drawing Eren. He couldn't find the right color for the eyes. He just settled on a few greens and blues and then he blended them together until they were just right.

When he finished he had drawn Eren with a determined and hopeful look on his face. Like he was finding a new beginning. He had captured that beautiful glint and in that moment Levi knew he wasn't going to be able to get Eren out of his head. He liked him.

He put the drawing away in his folder (god forbid if Eren ever saw it) and he looked out the window. It had grown dark. Art was Levi's escape from reality and time. His phone was lit up on the couch with notifications. He hoped one was from Eren but they were all from Hange. She had blown up his phone. He unlocked it and read the messages:

Hange: Text Eren. I know you won't regret it.

Hange: What are you doing tonight?

Hange: Erwin and I are bringing takeout at 7:30. Be ready for a sleepover!

'Shit.' It was 7:15 now. He showered quickly and threw on grey sweats and a white t shirt. Luckily he didn't have to tidy up because his apartment was always spotless. He hates dirt and has minor OCD. Erwin usually respected his clean habits but Hange completely disregarded them. As if on que there was a knock at the door. Levi sighed heavily before walking over to answer it. 'At least they're bringing me food.' Levi thought as he swung open the door. He purposely stood in the way so Hange couldn't get in.

"Let us innnnnn Leviiiiiiii." Hange whined.

"Hell no. Take your shoes off first. You always forget."

"I will I promise!"

Levi paused for emphasis, making sure she calmed down, before moving aside so they could enter. True to her word, Hange slipped out of her shoes. He and Erwin set the food on the glass coffee table and Hange made a beeline for the small linens closet.

"Hange, no. No!" But it was too late. She had already gotten all of the blankets and thrown them on the floor, dirtying them.

"Relax Levi. We're going to make a fort!" Hange screamed as she jumped onto Levi's back. She rode him piggy back style and Erwin couldn't contain his laughter. Seeing a taller Hange ride a smaller Levi was a sight to see. Levi was glad he worked out so he could easily support Hange's weight.

Erwin turned on the tv but they used it for background noise as Levi dumped Hange backwards on the couch. Erwin and Levi sat on the couch and Hange moved the coffee table over (getting fingerprints on the glass) and then she sat on the mass of blankets on the floor. They talked about school and how classes would be starting soon but soon the subject turned to Eren. "So Levi... about Eren..." Erwin started.

"You need to text him!" Hange blurted out.

"Hange, the brat is probably busy."

"I know he likes you. I see the way he is around you and it's adorable. Ask him if he wants to hang out soon."

"I just left him." Levi had finished his takeout and proceeded to the kitchen to throw it away. Hange and Erwin followed suit and they regrouped at the couch and resumed their conversation.

"What's going on between you and Armin?" Levi asked casually.

"Hey don't change the subject!" Hange screamed in the background. Levi and Erwin just breezed on by it like it was nothing.

"Oh we've been talking ever since we met at Rose. He's really nice and funny, not to mention smart. The kids a computer hacker."

"Oh no!" Hange mock fainted. "He must have hacked into the system by now and found out Levi used to live a double life as an assassin! Now Levi and Eren can never be together!" Erwin and Hange burst out in laughter and Levi cracked a small smile.

Hange beamed. "There's that smile."

"Tch. Lets just build your stupid fort."

They began constructing the fort, draping blankets over the back of the couch. They idly chatted as they built and Levi occasionally barked out orders.

"Damn! So demanding Heichou!" Hange laughed.

"Well if we're building this shit in the middle of my fucking living room it better be good.

By the time they finished it was 11:30. This was due to Levi being a perfectionist so they had torn down the fort multiple times until it was just right. They all lay down underneath it, Erwin on the right, Hange in the middle, and Levi on the left. Erwin and Hange fell asleep quickly but Levi remained awake.

His insomnia kicked in and he wondered what a certain blue eyes brat was doing at the moment. 'Probably sleeping like how I should be.' He lay awake thinking of Eren until sun filtered in from the windows. 'Shit.' He really liked the brat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Leave ideas and suggestions below. Chapter 4 will be here soon.


	4. Because I Like Him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys I am so sorry that I am late on this chapter update. Shit hit the fan in my life and I have been feeling stressed out recently. I hope my frustration doesn't show in my writing. This chapter delves into Levi's backstory. Trigger warning for you guys and I hope you enjoy my shitty writing. I hope to be back on track with updates soon.

Days had passed since Eren had last seen Levi. Aside from the cookoff between Sasha and Connie the weekend had been uneventful. The fact that Eren didn't have work on the weekends only served to fuel his boredom. It was a Wednesday night and Eren had just gotten off his shift. He hadn't been able to see Levi at Rose recently because his shift times had changed from 3-6 due to classes starting. He had all morning classes. Eren wanted to text Levi to hang out but he felt as if he was bothering him.

He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, his phone resting on his chest. Armin sat at his desk, reading some god awful book on computers and science and smart people things. "Eren, you're killing me. You did nothing all weekend but mope around and then once classes started all you have been doing for the past three days is go to class, eat, and lay in bed. Text Levi." Armin knew Eren was falling back into his old habits of just surviving. But life should be about more than just surviving. He hadn't seen Eren as happy as he had been with Levi in a long time.

"Mhnmmm!" Eren whined. He knew Armin was right but he was scared. What if Levi didn't want to be around him? What if he thought he was annoying? What if he saw through Eren's façade of happiness?

"Eren!" Armin jolted Eren back to reality. "I can see the gears in your head turning. Don't think too much. Just text him. He probably thinks your dead." Armin smiled, attempting to ease Eren's nerves with humor.

"You know Ar... when you say don't think it's pretty ironic considering." Eren gave a slight smile. Armin was the smartest person he knew. Armin just gave Eren a reassuring smile and went back to reading, leaving him to mull over his thoughts. He picked his phone up off his chest and typed, retyped, and typed again before finally settling on: Hey Levi, it's Eren. I just got off my shift at Rose and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out or get some dinner.

He hit send and held his breath. Armin gave a sideways glance. "Don't worry Eren. He will probably take a bit to answer." Eren nodded and set his phone down as he looked for ways to distract himself. He was just about to reach for his sketchbook when his phone vibrated. He lunged for it and nearly dropped it, relieved when the name read Levi.

Levi: Hey brat I know it's you, I have your number. I don't feel like dealing with the general public at the moment so why don't you come over and watch a movie instead of us going out?

Eren beamed. He quickly typed out a reply.

Eren: Sounds good. Where do you live?

Levi: An apartment complex just off campus. I will pick you up though, it's easier. Is 8 ok?

Eren: 8 is perfect.

Eren just realized he had just agreed to being picked up at 8 and he had no idea what time it was at the moment and he was nowhere near ready.

A quick glance at the clock told him it was 7:15. He had 40 minutes to take a shower and put on socially acceptable clothes.

He sprinted to the bathroom down the hall, ignoring Armin's questions. He felt bad but he had no time to fill Armin in. He would just tell him later when he got home. He took the fastest shower known to man and attempted to tame his messy hair. He ran down the hall, nearly bumping into Jean.

"Where the hell are you going Jeagar?" Jean asked.

Eren didn't stop running and just called over his shoulder. "Nowhere!"

"Bullshit." Jean mumbled to himself as he sent Armin a quick text. He'd find out about this soon.

When he got back to his dorm room he threw on jeans, a blue T shirt, and his doc martens. His phone went off and Levi was waiting for outside.

"Bye Ar!" Eren called as he ran down the hall.

"Eren wait! Your jacket!" Armin threw him his grey jacket and Eren caught it without turning around. Armin just smiled, happy Eren was out of bed and moving around.

When Eren stepped outside a 2015 black hyundai sonata was waiting for him. He got in and immediately noticed the clean, sleek leather interior.

Levi sped away from the curve. 'Damn he drives fast.' "It's nice." Eren said, commenting on the car.

"I try to keep it clean. Of course that all goes to hell when Hange gets in." They laughed and Eren realized he had been laughing more past week than he had his entire years of abuse. He also noticed how infrequent Levi's laughs were as well, and relished in them. His voice was smooth and deep.

The drive was only about 10 minutes. Levi's apartment building looked nice and modern. When they got to Levi's door, Levi pulled out his keys. Eren couldn't help but notice three keychains hanging from his car keys. They all were identical shields no bigger than a dollar coin. One shield had a green horse head on it, the other two red roses, and the last one a blue and white wing. The keychains intrigued Eren but he decided not to comment.

The door swung and Eren's eyes widened. It was complete open concept and the walls were white with the exception of the left wall being old exposed brick and large windows overlooking the trees and sidewalk below. A small hallway across the living room led to what appeared to be Levi's room and on the right of the living room was the kitchen but no walls separated the two. An art table on the left wall caught Eren's eye along with a black violin. All the furniture was sleek and modern and furthermore, clean. Very clean. Eren had no doubts he could eat off the floor.

"Take your shoes off brat. Hange always forgets."

"Oh ya, sure." Eren slipped out of his boots, leaving them by the door as he followed Levi to the kitchen. He began popping popcorn.

"So, what kind of movies do you like?" Levi asked as he moved to get a bowl.

"Umm...I like horror... or maybe psychological thrillers." He wasn't used to anyone caring about what he thought for the most part. With his dad it was always shut up and do what you're told.

"I have a lot of horror, but it's all foreign."

"Perfect. American horror sucks anyways and it isn't scary. Most of the time I end up laughing anyways."

"I have a French one called Martyrs." Levi suggested.

"Sounds cool. Could you put German subtitles? I actually prefer it over English." Eren said sheepishly. He was embarrassed because even though he was born in America he still felt he was more German than anything. His mom had instilled that in him and he only took it more to heart after her death.

"Sure brat." Eren was astonished. Levi had just accepted it and moved on without a second thought. Levi handed Eren the popcorn that was now done and in the bowl and walked over to the tv to set up the movie. They sat next to each other on the couch, the bowl of popcorn between them. They sat in silence watching the movie as the storyline progressed. The popcorn lasted a good 10 minutes into the movie and the bowl now sat idly on the glass coffee table. Levi's apartment was modern with hardwood floors so the cold weather only made the granites and glasses colder. Levi got up to turn on the heater and when he went to sit back down he sat pressed against Eren so their legs touched. Eren subconsciously leaned into the warmth.

It came to the part in the movie where the girl is skinned alive and screaming. Eren grabbed for the closest thing next to him which happened to be Levi. His hands clenched around the fabric of Levi's shirt. Levi just smirked and Eren came to his senses, releasing Levi and blushing. "S-Sorry." After that Eren couldn't focus much on the movie. He was watching Levi. Watching how his silver eyes were locked on the screen but also managed to still seem impassive. Looking at how his eyebrows furrowed and the soft curve of his lips turned down into a frown, as if he was eternally disgruntled with the world.

Levi stood abruptly and Eren winced as the cold air bit into the warm spots Levi had left behind. He just realized the movie was over. 'Levi is fucking distracting.' Levi turned off the tv and sat back down on the couch, facing Eren. "What classes did you get stuck with?" He inquired. Levi knew all too well that even though they were majoring in art, college still required them to take basic classes.

"Ahh, well I have my studio arts class, journalism, chem, European history, and math... ya that's it."

"Journalism?"

"Ya," Eren rubbed the back of his neck, "I like to write and I need a degree I can make money with. I see you have a violin over there. Do you play or is it just for show?"

"I play. I'm minoring in musical arts after all. Better know how to fucking play."

They delved into the subject of music and found they had very similar tastes. They both liked indie, chillstep, dream pop, and a little bit of alternative. Levi introduced Eren to the wonders of Lindsey Stirling as well as SYD Matters. Of course Eren had to dive into all his favorite songs from anime.

"There's this one song my mom always used to sing to me in German."

"My mom used to sing to me in French too." Levi said. His eyes got a far away look in them and you could tell he was thinking about his mothers death.

"Oi. It's too late for me to drive your ass home. Just sleep here. I can give you some clothes."

"Oh umm, sure, that'd be great.

They walked into Levi's bedroom and a pair of sweats was thrown his way along with a simple t shirt. "I'm going to shower. You can just uh, change here."

"Ya, that'd be great. Thank you." Levi disappeared into the master bathroom and Eren was left to his own devices. The bed was huge and Eren's thoughts immediately drifted to their sleeping arrangements. He would think Levi would have him sleep on the couch but Eren knew he was in for a long night because the couch was much too small for him. 'Not like I sleep anyways.'

He decided to change before Levi came out. He quickly slipped out of his jeans and into the sweatpants. They fit loosely and ended at the tops of his feet. Eren could only imagine how big they were on Levi's smaller frame. He pulled the shirt on and it was a little tight but that was expected as these were Levi's clothes.

Levi stepped out of the bathroom, startling Eren. "You can sleep here if you want. The bed is big enough. There's no way your ass will be comfortable on that couch."

A blush formed on Eren's face. "Oh, uhmm, thank you." They awkwardly crawled into bed. Eren didn't want to make Levi uncomfortable so he stayed on the far side, scared to roll over or move too much. Eren lay there for a long time just thinking. He began thinking of anime to pass the time as it was a better alternative than letting his thoughts drift to darker places. Places he knew all too well in his mind. He thought about Charlotte and how he was sad it was over. It had one of the most bittersweet endings and he expected no less because it was made by the same studios who made Angel Beats.

He finally deemed it safe to move as it had been an hour or two (he lost track at night) and rolled over to face the ceiling. He looked over to notice Levi on his back as well, wide awake. "Y-You're awake?" Eren stuttered. He had been lying there for awhile and there had been no indication Levi was awake.

"Ya, I have insomnia."

"I-I do too." Eren said sheepishly. He was still astonished Levi had been awake this whole time.

"Oi Eren."

"Hmmm?"

"Are you gay?"

With three words Eren's world came crashing down. Levi would kick him out once he knew. He would reject him. Eren's chest tightened and his breath began to hitch.

"Hey, hey it's ok. Was it something I said?" Levi just reached his hand out, then thought better of it, in fear of making Eren's condition worse, and dropped the hand to his side. "What's wrong?"

"I-I-ah-ha..." The words wouldn't come out and the breath wouldn't go in. Levi finally made up his mind and wrapped his arms around Eren. Eren stiffened in response. He didn't want to burden anyone, let alone Levi.

"Shhhh. It's ok brat. It's ok."

They just stayed like that for awhile. Levi holding Eren and Eren grabbing him like if he let go he would surely die. Maybe he would.

Eventually, Eren regained his breath and he loosened his grip on Levi. "I'm sorry." He said, his cheeks red from blushing and his eyes bloodshot from the tears that had escaped.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. Panic attacks can't be helped." Eren just nodded, still feeling guilty for being a burden to Levi. "I'm sorry if it was something I said." Levi continued. "It's just I'm gay and-"

"Wait you're gay?" Eren asked, his eyes widening.

"Ya, that a problem?" Levi asked, suddenly on the defensive.

"No no. I-I'm... gay too." Eren had to force the words out. He was so used to hiding it. Keeping it a secret from his father. His father still hit him for it regardless as Grisha had found out but Eren still hid it.

"Mhmm... some pillow talk huh?" Levi said jokingly, a small smile adorning his face. The smile that was so infrequent, the one Eren loved. Loved.

"Huh, ya." Eren laughed, a little embarrassed. The thought of doing anything like that with Levi made Eren's stomach warm. They sat in silence for a bit, their proximity bringing each other comfort.

Levi finally broke the silence. "If you don't mind me asking... your father?" Levi didn't know why he was pressing Eren, but he felt as though this conversation needed to happen.

Eren visibly stiffened. "He ummm.... he...." Tears began to prick the corners of his eyes and Eren closed them in an attempt to force them back. "He's an asshole." Eren said this in mock anger. If he pretended to be angry, then it didn't leave any room for sadness. It was easier that way and a technique Eren had developed soon after the abuse began. After the teachers began to ask what was wrong.

"Does he... hit you?" Levi asked in a whisper, as if the silence would betray them. The words left a bad taste in his mouth and he wondered how anyone could hurt the amazing person that sat before him.

Eren couldn't get the words to come out. They tangled and coiled in his throat. The tears finally fell down his face, pushed out by the added frustration of not being able to speak. Levi saw Eren's throat moving and knew he was trying to talk but Levi didn't want to hear it. He could see how much Eren had suffered. He saw through the cracks, the façade. Levi just hugged him.

Eren regained his composure once again and a thought crossed his mind. Levi had just found out Eren's two biggest secrets but Eren knew nothing of Levi. "Hey Levi..." Eren started tentatively. "What happened... on the streets of France?"

"That's... a long story."

"We have time..." Eren gave him a reassuring smile. It never ceased to amaze Levi that someone who had been through so much could still smile.

"Well... my mother... when she died, I was five. My dad wasn't around because he left before I was born. I went to live with my uncle Kenny. He kept me for a few years until I was seven. Then one day he left with no explanation and didn't come home. So, I ended up on the streets. That's where I met Isabel and Farlan." Levi paused, taking a few moments before continuing. "We lived in an abandoned warehouse. It was literally Prince of Persia or Aladdin in terms of finding food." Levi said, a small ghost of a smile on his lips. He was remembering something from a time in his life Eren knew nothing about.

*Flash*

The baguette smelled amazing as Levi reached out and quickly grabbed it. Farlan was grabbing as many rolls as he could and Isabel was talking to the owner of the bakery. He job was to get the old prick to not focus on the two boys. The plan slipped as his eyes wandered over to them. "Merde!(Shit) Voleurs!(thieves) He chased after them but he was much too slow. Isabel quietly slipped out of the back to meet up with her boys in the designated alley.

Levi split off from Farlan and the baker followed Levi. 'Good.' Levi was faster than Farlan so it was better if he was chased because he had a better chance of escaping. The man was still shouting behind him but Levi was gaining ground, making the gap grow. "Fils de chien!" He called over his shoulder. The baker stopped running at this comment and grumbled, giving up and returning to his shop which was now unattended.

*Flash*

"I bet you were the best at stealing food." Eren laughed.

"You bet your ass I was. I remember one day I stole bread and called fils de chien over my shoulder. I was one fast motherfucker."

"Fis duh what?" Eren laughed. It sounded so beautiful when Levi said it. It rolled of his tongue.

"Fils de chien. It means son of a bitch." Levi gave a small laugh.

'Wow, everything sounds so nice in French.' Eren mused.

"Once we got older it became less of cute kids on the streets and more of rebellious teenagers in the eyes of the public. We weren't on the streets by choice of course but no one gave a damn. We were angry at the world. Angry at everyone for abandoning us. But don't ever believe the world owes you anything. We began to graffiti. I loved to draw so I made the murals while Farlan and Isabel were a little more adapt with the spray paint. They would turn my drawings into stencils and put it onto the walls and buildings. I could graffiti as well and added my own touches here and there. The warehouse we lived in became our practice area and you should have seen it by the time we were pros. It was beautiful. Our art was beautiful and it meant something and we were good at it."

"Lyon's a big city and the cops just couldn't catch us. We would dress in all black with hoods. We got good at parkour out of necessity for out running the cops each night. We signed each work. Mine was a blue and white wing, Isabel's was two red roses, and Farlan's was a green horse. We even made them into key chains. Isabel and Farlan... they became more than friends over the years. They were my family. Kind of how you are with Armin and Mikasa."

"I saw the key chains. They are cool." Eren gave Levi a sad smile.

Levi paused for awhile and Eren just waited patiently. He knew how hard it was to dig up the past. "One night... the cops were chasing us. We had on black and were pulling every trick in the book but we just couldn't shake the cops. We decided to lose them in the subways."

*Flash*

Their feet slammed into the pavement. "Les metros!" Levi shouted, alerting Isabel and Farlan with a few words to his plan. They turned down a few alleyways and headed through the crowds of late night party goers into the subway. They hoped into a car just as the doors were closing. The few people in there just gave them glares as the car pulled away and the cops faded.

The doors opened to reveal more cops. They had been waiting. "Allez!"(go) Levi shouted, running into the cops in an attempt to slow them down so Isabel and Farlan could run. They pushed through the crowd. They were in an area of the city they didn't visit often and knew less of. They turned down an alley to be greeted by a chain link fence and barbed wire. They had forgotten construction was being done in this area. "Putain!"(fuck) Levi shouted. They were cornered.

"Leve la mains!"(raise your hands) The two cops had their guns raised. One cop looked no older than them and his gun was shaking. Levi would've guessed this was his first time in the field.

"Arret."(stop) Isabel said, walking forward. Levi saw it all in slow motion. The cops hand slip on the trigger. Isabel get shot. Dead. Farlan rushing forward in anger. Him being shot. Dead. In an instant Levi had lost his family. Those in the world that mattered most to him. The cops panicked and retreated around the corner, calling for backup. A small teenage bust had now turned into a full on crime scene bloodbath.

Levi walked over to their bodies in a daze. Not fully registering what just happened. "Oi... se leve...." (hey get up) He knelt by their forms and retrieved their keychains. He could hear the cops returning and knew had had to leave soon or he would be caught. "Merci beaucoup.... pour etre ma famille..." (thank you for being my family)

He ran. Ran from his pain. Ran from his guilt. He hadn't even gotten to say goodbye, as they had died instantly. He supposed that was better for them though. Better to not suffer any longer in this god forsaken world.

*Flash*

"The cops pinned us in an alley. Some kid with an itchy trigger finger shot Isabel and Farlan rushed him and got shot too. The dumbass cops ran and called for backup and I grabbed their keychains and hauled ass out of there. A few days later I contacted Kenny, as he had been trying to get ahold of me for awhile. Something about apologizing for leaving me. He offered me anything I wanted since the bastard was rolling in money, and I asked for a plane ticket and a new life in America.

"Shit..." Eren said. He wanted to pull Levi into a hug but didn't want to scare him away.

"I was 16 and I enrolled in high school. That's how I met Hange and Erwin. After high school I figured I would just keep going with them into college. And here is where I met Petra and Mike. That's the end."

Something in Eren snapped. He knew how quickly those you loved could be taken and it was just proven furthermore. "Levi, I-I really like you." Eren declared. "And I want to be with you." Eren's courage was fading fast as Levi just stared back at him with wide eyes. He decided to abandon his own words and turn to another's, as he often did when he couldn't express what he wanted to say. "People say you never know what you have until its gone. Truth is, you knew what you had, you just never thought you would lost it. - Owari no Seraph." Eren just waited, preparing for the worst.

Finally Levi spoke. "I... really like you too brat..."

Eren beamed and Levi smiled. It was contagious like that...happiness. "Are we dating now?" Eren asked innocently.

"Yes shithead." Levi said as he pulled Eren onto his chest and lay back onto the bed. They cuddle closer to each other, relishing in the warmth and contact. Levi hadn't had contact with anyone in a long time. He had been going through life alone since he was sixteen and now he finally had someone to walk beside him. They fell asleep together and insomnia didn't matter anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope it wasn't too confusing with the flashbacks. I also apologize for the speedy get together of Levi and Eren but I'm an impatient motherfucker so here we are. I want to build their relationship and I will still have a slow build so don't worry. Chapter 5 is being written right now so hopefully the update will come soon. Also I am part French and speak French but let me know if I get something wrong because everyone makes mistakes. Big thank you to those who read this chapter before it was done because I was at my field hockey tournament. Comments are always welcome.


	5. Because We're Moving Fast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Once again I am so sorry for being extremely late on updates. I had a 75 page research essay due but now I am done with that and my field hockey season has also ended so I will have more time to write I promise. As always let me know in the comments where you want this to go and if you have any criticism. By the way I have no idea where they are geographically. In terms of places I'm using LA as reference but later on I will have it snow and it doesn't snow here in LA so I don't know so don't mind the setting. It doesn't get cold here and we don't see too much of the other seasons so if anyone wants to give me some pointers on cold weather and such leave a comment.

Eren woke up to a beam of light hitting him directly in the eye from the small crack in the blinds. For a moment he couldn't remember where he was and he shot up, flinging the body the was resting on him to the side. Realization hit and Eren turned to Levi, embarrassment flooded his features.

 

"Levi I-I'm so sorry."

 

"Tch. What a rude awakening." He joked, as he scooted closer to Eren. He tentatively pulled Eren into him. He didn't know how ok Eren was with contact yet and didn't want to move too quick for him. However, Eren just relaxed into him, all the tensions melting from his shoulders.

 

"Do you have any classes?" Levi asked, his words becoming slightly muffled as he rested his chin atop Eren's head.

 

"European history." He grumbled. He had no desire to leave the warm comfort of Levi's arms for a hard chair in a cold classroom listening to a boring professor explain to him the wonders of the agricultural revolution in England and how it affected peasant farmers.

 

"Well, lucky for you I know a shit ton about Europe. If you want you can skip for the day and I can help you out with whatever you miss."

 

"That would be great. For just having started school I already don't have a great track record of showing up to class.'

 

"Don't worry, no one shows up often other than important lectures or tests and even then people are always gone."

 

"Mhmm." Eren snuggled in closer to Levi, looking up at him from under his lashes. Levi shifted uncomfortably underneath him. "W-what?" Eren asked, averting his gaze. "Did I do something wrong?"

 

"N-no. You're just fucking adorable." Levi said, pink dancing across his cheeks.

 

Eren felt relaxed but he also felt nervous. He had never shared a bed with anyone besides Armin and that was when they were children. They were also never this close in proximity. Levi began to card his hands through his hair and he jumped at the unexpected touch.

 

"Sorry." He said, immediately retracting his hands.

 

"No...keep going. I just wasn't expecting it." He urged, now also blushing. They were both a mess. Levi began to slowly run his hands through Eren's hair again, causing him to close his eyes. They lay like that for an hour, just lazing, until finally Levi got up.

 

"I feel disgusting. I'm taking a shower. Help yourself to anything you want in the kitchen." Levi sauntered into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Eren briefly mused over how clean Levi was before dismissing the thought and heading into the kitchen. He grabbed the tea that was on the counter and began to make a cup for himself and one for Levi. He preferred coffee but he knew tea would be more appreciated by Levi and it's what was laying on the counter.

 

As the cinnamon chai tea washed over him he took a moment to mull over his thoughts and organize his day. He would need a shower before his shift. He also needed the notes from the class he was currently supposed to be in.

 

Levi walked in with a towel draped across his shoulders, black skinny jeans and not much else. A black t-shirt was in his hands and he looked like he was in the process of putting it on. Eren tried to avert his eyes but they kept trailing down the toned abs and the sharp cut of the V disappearing beneath Levi's jeans.

 

"Enjoying the show?" Levi smirked as he picked up the tea that Eren had made for him.

 

"O-oh ummm, sorry. I didn't mean to uhh stare." He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He suddenly found Levi's immaculate floors very interesting.

 

"Relax brat. I don't mind." Levi paused then went on. "You can take a shower here if you want. You're probably fucking gross." Levi said this in his usual dead tone but Eren was beginning to grow used to his sense of humor.

 

"Ya. I have shift with Petra soon."

 

"I'll wash your clothes."

 

He made his way to the bathroom and he could hear Levi putting his clothes into the washer. As he stripped and stepped into the warm water he realized the only soap available was Levi's. It was from LUSH and titled grass. True to its name it smelled earthy with a musky after scent. Eren had to refrain from using the entire bottle. It smelled like Levi...like home.

 

After soaking for a good ten minutes he stepped out of the shower, careful not to make drips for Levi. He reached for the spare towel and began drying off and when he was no longer dripping he realized his mistake. He had no clothes. He wrapped his towel around his waist and attempted to stay calm. 'Fuck, ok, we just need to ask Levi for our clothes. This isn't something he won't see eventually.' He quickly discarded the thought. He couldn't let his mind wander there at the moment.

 

Poking his head out the door he called out. "Ummm...Levi. I ummm...I need my clothes."

 

"What?" Levi asked, turning the corner to the bedroom to see Eren standing there in nothing but a towel. Eren didn't miss the way his eyes roamed across his chest and down his abdomen, following his V to the towel. Eren blushed further.

 

"Levi...?"

 

"Oh umm, sorry, you're distracting." He smirked, not even bothering to hide the fact that he was looking. "Let me grab some of my clothes. Yours aren't near being done." He moved the dresser in the corner of the room and began rifling through clothes. Eren just stood awkwardly in his towel.

 

"They might be...uh...a bit....small." It was Levi's turn to avert his eyes as he handed the clothes to Eren.

 

"It's ok, thank you." He said as he practically ran to the bathroom.

 

To say the clothes were a bit small was an understatement. The briefs were tight on Levi so on Eren they were just downright scandalous. The shirt was very form fitting and the jeans were skinny and too short, the length would be covered up by his boots and luckily it was cold outside so his coat would cover the shirt. Lord knows what he would do once he got inside Rose.

 

When he stepped out of the bathroom Levi was waiting for him with keys in his hand. "I was thinking we could stop by your dorm so you could actually get dressed, then we could head over to Rose."

 

"Ya...these clothes don't fit me too well." He laughed.

 

"Correction. Those clothes fit you too well."

 

They slipped on their shoes and headed out to Levi's car. They immediately surpassed the speed limit.

 

"You like to drive fast, huh?" Eren said as he quickly buckled his seatbelt.

 

"Hmpf. They say in life its all about the journey. Bullshit. Otherwise I wouldn't be trying so hard to get to the destination." With that he pushed down harder on the gas.

 

With the speed they were going they arrived at the dorms in no time. Miraculously the car came to a smooth stop in the short amount of road Levi had to drop Eren off. "I'll wait for you here." Eren nodded and hurried inside.

 

He was halfway up the stairs when he ran into Sasha, all her bags of food falling to the floor.

 

"Oh I'm so sorry Sasha." He bent over and began helping her pick up groceries.

 

"No worries Eren. These are actually for dinner this Saturday. Connie and I are going to cook some food. I'll have his ass this time." She clenched her fist and Eren wondered how much pressure the grocery bag handle could take. "Why don't you invite that guy you've been talking to...Levi?"

 

Eren blushed. News spread like wildfire. A thought occurred to him that he should correct Sasha, as he and Levi were now dating. He could only imagine how fast that news would spread. These were his new friends though and he wanted to be honest with them. They seemed ok with Krista and Ymir dating so there shouldn't be a problem. Plus Sasha was nice, she wouldn't judge.

 

"Oh..umm, Levi and I are actually dating now." He braced himself for the worst. Instead all he received was a bear hug.

 

"That's great Eren! Congratulations." As quickly as she came was leaving. Eren watched her ponytail bob down the stairs, no doubt to spread the news to Jean and everyone else. She was so accepting and it was a sharp contrast to what Eren was used to with Grisha.

 

He continued up the stairs and down the hall, passing the common room, to his dorm. Upon entering he was greeted by Armin.

 

"Where the hell have you been?" Armin asked smiling, already knowing the answer.

 

"I watched a movie with Levi, but it got late so I just spent the night in his apartment."

 

"Anything else?" He asked mischievously.

 

"Well...we're uhh...dating now."

 

"I knew it! I could see it on your face when you walked in." Armin laughed. "Good luck telling Mikasa. She hasn't showed signs of instantly hating Levi on the spot but you guys dating will make her cautious."

 

"I like him Ar." Eren smiled. He began grabbing new clothes as he filled Armin in on the previous night, trying to ignore the way Armin was smiling at his too small and obviously borrowed clothes.

 

"Speaking of which...where is Mikasa? She's been gone for a few days, that's unlike her." Eren said.

 

Just then the door swung open. Eren's foot caught in his jeans the wrong way as he was putting them on causing him to almost fall down. Seeing he was half dressed Mikasa closed the door behind her.

 

"Mikasa!" Eren screamed, nearly falling over again. Armin just laughed.

 

"Sorry." Though her tone of voice didn't suggest it.

 

Armin looked to Eren and he knew Armin wanted him to tell her about Levi. As soon as he had his pants all the way on he began his "speech" and hunted for a shirt.

 

"Uhhh...you know Levi, from Rose?

 

"Yes...?"

 

"Well, we've been talking and hanging out...."

 

"Spit it out."

 

"We're dating now." Eren shut his eyes, waiting for the screaming and the objections but they never came. He opened his eyes to see Mikasa had frozen right before her butt was about to hit Armin's bed.

 

"Eren. You've only just met him." She reasoned in a calm voice.

 

"Mika...I really like him...and he makes me...happy."

 

Mikasa's mouth was open to protest but immediately shut upon hearing the word happy. She hadn't seen him genuinely happy since their mother died and Grisha began hitting him and there was nothing Mikasa could do to make it better other than try to protect him from things outside of their house. She could see right through his façade of happiness and he really only ever had brief moments of joy. Since he met Levi...since he's been here...he has seemed happier.

 

"Ok."

 

"Ok what?" Eren said astonished.

 

"If you're happy, then I'm happy. But, if he lays a finger on you he's dead."

 

A sharp knock sounded at the door. The knock triggered Eren into remembering Levi was in the car waiting for his ass outside.

 

"Shit! Levi's in the car. Bye guys! I have my shift at Rose." He called over his shoulder as he ran out the door, nearly bumping into Annie who had her hand raised in the air to knock again. He didn't have time to think about it and just kept running down the hall.

 

"What's gotten into dipshit?" Annie asked walking into the room.

 

Mikasa frowned at her choice of words but ignored it which was a feat. Armin just watched the exchange in shock.

 

"He's dating Levi."

 

"The short one from Rose?"

 

"Mhmm."

 

* * *

 Eren ran and jumped into Levi's car.

 

"Sorry. I got a little held up."

 

"No worries. Anywhere in particular you want to go for lunch?"

 

"Ummm, no you can pick."

 

"Good cause I already decided on a place." Levi deadpanned as he sped off. Eren would have to get used to that.

 

They had been driving for five minutes when Levi plugged his phone into the AUX so his music could play. "Tiens.(here) Pick something." He handed his phone to Eren, unlocking the screen. The casual French Levi used made Eren happy. He scrolled through the playlists and songs before he found what he was looking for, not surprised Levi had it. Obstacles by SYD Matters began to play. The French singers accent could be heard slightly in the English lyrics. He could see Levi smirking from the corner of his eye.

 

They pulled up to the restaurant and it was a hipster place from what Eren could gather, not that he minded. When they walked inside his suspicions were confirmed by the actually good music playing that wouldn't be found on the radio and the smell of tea and "healthy people food". They took a seat by the window and immediately a waitress came to greet them and take their orders.

 

"Hi! What can I get for you?" She said excitedly. Her nametag read Mina.

 

"Umm, Levi how about you go first."

 

"I'll have the soup for the day." He said closing his menu.

 

Eren eyed the menu before quickly deciding on a bowl of mac and cheese. It was the only thing on the menu he considered at least slightly filling. Everything was either a soup, salad, some small meal people on diets ate. Their food quickly arrived after that and they ate happily.

 

"Oi brat."

 

"Huh?"

 

"I said do you want to go to the gym with me after my shift. I like working out at night better."

 

"Oh ya sure. Sorry I kinda zoned there. That sounds good. I have been off of my usual regimen for a few weeks now."

 

"Try to keep up." He smirked.

 

"You'll be the one whose falling behind old man." He laughed. They by now had finished their food and were heading out the door. The drive to Rose was short and when they got there the whole squad was already sitting in their usual seats at the counter. It's like those stools were there only for them.

 

"Eren!" Hange greeted.

 

"Hi Eren." Erwin said in a much calmer voice.

 

"Hey guys long time no see." He said as he wrapped his barista apron around his waist. He slipped behind the wooden counter and began tending to customers as Petra leaned over the aged wood. Everyone's eyes were on Erwin for some reason. Eren strained his ears only half paying attention to what he was doing resulting in him missing the money being handed to him twice.

 

"You have to invite him to hang out with us Erwin!" Hange screamed getting mere centimeters from his nose. He didn't seem the least bit fazed by Hanges antics.

 

"Armin's just a bit shy. Anyone would be around you Hange. You're loud as fuck." Erwin defended.

 

"Oh come on Erwin! You have to give me something!" She whined. "Even Levi got his sour puss ass a boyfriend and showed him to us."

 

Erens ears reddened at this and Petra, seeing as she wasn't going to be able to help the situation, called Eren over and had him take her spot at the counter while she rang people up, content to just listen from afar.

 

"I am not a sour puss." Levi said, his expression blank as he sipped his tea, fingers resting on the rim of the cup.

 

"Eren! Don't you think Levi is a sour puss?" Hange screamed right by Erens ear as if he was hard of hearing. He flinched but quickly regained his composure. He was getting used to Hanges volume: loud.

 

"But he's my sour puss." Eren blushed as he leaned over the counter. Time seemed to freeze and then Levi was leaning forward, bridging the gap. Their lips connected and electricity shot down his spine. It was brief as they were in public and Eren was on shift, but it was their first kiss. It had just felt so natural. They pulled away and Levi had a small smile on his face.

 

"What? Do I dare say that was a smile?" Hange screeched.

 

"Shut it shitty glasses." His ever present frown back.

 

Soon his shift was over at 6 and they were heading out to the car. Darkness had descended and the stars were shining. "Still up for the gym?"

 

"Ya, but I don't have any workout clothes."

 

Levi just made his way to the dorms and Eren ran out and up the stairs to his room, deja- vu hitting him as he was just here running to get clothes. He threw on a Blue Exorcist shirt and blue gym shorts and some adequate shoes before sprinting out again. As he hopped into the car a thought occurred to him. "Levi what will you wear?"

 

"Don't worry. I have a gym bag in the back and there is a locker room there to change."

 

Eren nodded in acknowledgment before Levi sped off. It was night and therefore visuals were less than optimal. However, instead of driving a bit slower it only seemed the opposite. Due to Levi's driving they soon arrived at the gym and Eren was let in as Levi's guest but he made a mental note to get a membership soon. The ground floor was all the machinery for arms as well as the locker rooms and the top floor was for legs and abs. The lower level had a pool and sauna as well. The gym was modern and clean and Eren expected nothing less from a gym Levi went to.

 

They headed to the boys locker room and Levi set his bag down on the bench. No one else was in there. Eren moved to the side a bit to give Levi some privacy as he unlaced his boots. His fingers went to the button on his jeans and Eren averted his eyes.

 

"You can look brat." Levi said, smirk dancing across his lips. He threw off his shirt and slowly moved towards Eren. His jeans sat low on his hips, the button undone. Eren couldn't help but notice how soft his pale skin looked, pulled taut over his jutting hip bones. Levi, now much closer to Eren, began casually taking off his jeans and putting on his shorts and shoes. When he stood up he was directly in front of Eren. His eyes were in line with Eren's chest and he gently reached up and pulled him down till their lips touched. Eren felt the electric jolt again but it was stronger and it made him gasp. Levi pulled away.

 

"Sorry should I stop?"

 

"N-no." Eren said, now breathless. He pulled Levi back in and the kiss was warm and slow. When they finally pulled away Levi laughed.

 

"Workout my ass." Eren's eyes widened as he accidentally misinterpreted Levi's joke.

 

They headed into the gym to the top floor. "Let's just do legs and abs today."

 

"Ok I'll start on abs."

 

He began a rigorous set of ab workouts and Levi ran on the treadmill. He couldn't help but notice it was set on 13 which was about a 75% sprint. That was an extremely fast pace but Levi kept it up for 15 minutes. He really was a good runner. Eren began his legs and finally Levi began his abs. They alternated machines for a bit before ending at the one hour mark.

 

They arrived back at Levi's apartment and Levi just grabbed Eren a spare towel and clothes without a thought. Eren took his shower quickly as he was finding out how much Levi hated dirt and being gross. He just caught up on all his texts and social media as he waited for Levi to finish his shower.

 

Levi walked out shirtless and loose grey sweats. "Are you hungry?"

 

Eren realized the clock read 8:55 but he wasn't hungry even though they both didn't eat dinner. "Not really...oddly enough."

 

"Want to just have ice cream then?"

 

"I think that defeats the purpose of working out." Eren laughed. They both had muscles though so whatever they ate went to fueling those, therefore ice cream didn't really affect them. They sat on the couch and Eren pulled up the internet on Levi's tv and got onto kissanime. He pulled up One Punch Man just so they could have something to laugh at. They passed a pint of green tea ice cream between them and the show ended up just playing softly in the background as they cuddled closer.

 

"Eren...you're strong. Why didn't you fight back against Grisha? Only answer if you want to." Levi asked, pulling Eren to his chest, their legs tangling together as a result.

 

"I-I was afraid...that if I was no longer an easy target he might go after Mikasa, even though I knew the problem was me. I was never good enough." Eren's voice shook slightly on the last sentence.

 

Instead of saying something Levi just pulled Eren into his chest. "Want to go lie down?" The nod from Eren was all Levi needed to turn off the tv and lead Eren to his bed by his wrist. The bed was soft and Levi shut off the light and Eren found his chest, resting his head against it. He still couldn't believe he was no longer alone in this cruel world. He crushed his lips to Levi's trying to convey how he felt to the other. Levi moved his mouth against his, sliding his tongue across Eren's lower lip in a silent plea for entrance. Eren granted it. Levi's tongue darted into Eren's mouth, testing to see if it was ok with Eren before continuing. Eren moaned and the vibration of his vocal cords ricocheted between them.

 

Levi's hand moved between them and pulled off Eren's shirt before stilling. He pulled away and a thin strand of saliva connected them. "Sorry...if I went to fast right there."

 

"It's ok." Eren said, returning to the warm embrace. He began tracing circles into Levi's bare chest as heat radiated between them. "Thank you." Eren didn't need to elaborate on what, and they lay next to each other, pushing their insomnia away for each other and slowly falling into sleep.

* * *

Eren awoke the next morning to the smell of breakfast. He groggily shrugged his shirt on and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Upon entering the kitchen he was greeted by toast and bacon.

 

"Good morning." Levi said, shrugging off his apron and white bandana on his hair.

 

"Morning." Eren smiled.

 

They stood across from each other at Levi's small island, eating, enjoying each others company.

 

"I have class this morning but you're welcome to stay here if you'd like."

 

"No its ok." Eren smiled. "I have art class today. I finally get to do what I came here to do, not that my class attendance record has been good so far."

 

"You'll like the teacher." Levi said as he began putting away their dishes.

 

"I'm going to get dressed real quick." He moved to the pile of clothes Levi had left for him on the bed.

 

He turned his back to the door, not thinking of closing it as he shrugged his shirt off to switch it with the new one.

 

"Eren....oh mon dieu.(oh my god)" Levi said softly.

 

A huge bruise bloomed across his back and the hard muscles twitched under Levi's gaze. He had never had to explain the now fading blue and black spot. The first time Levi had seen him without a shirt they were both flustered and not paying attention and the second time was last night and it was dark.

 

"It's old." He reassured. Levi just pulled him into a hug and he gladly returned it.

 

"Alright. Don't be late to art you little shit." He smiled.

 

"Oh shit!" Eren scrambled, finishing dressing.

 

"Do you have a ride?"

 

"Oh fuck!" They both shouted. Levi now began throwing clothes on as he assured Eren he would give him a ride, even if he had to go in his pajamas, much to his disgust.

 

By the time Eren got to class he only had five minutes to get his supplies out. The teacher slowly walked to the front of the room and Eren noticed a silver flask on his desk. 'Great.' But Levi said he was nice and Eren trusted Levi.

 

"Hello everyone! My name is Dot Pixis and welcome to my studio arts class!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and I will try to update more frequently I swear! I feel I should let you guys know how I write so you understand my update reasoning and such. I'm in high school (*cries) so I literally write my chapters on paper that way if inspiration strikes I can write in class or if I have free time between tests etc.(don't ask how I keep a straight face as I write this trash) I also play field hockey and run track (although field hockey just ended) so I am busy after school. This means chapters are mostly done in class (so much for paying attention) Therefore, sitting down to type is challenging to say the least but updates will be every week. If you feel like checking out my tumblr its bluewire13. There you can enjoy my shitty art and my shitty writing. If you read this chapter before it is now completed.
> 
> Also: Would you guys be interested in a field hockey au fic. My season just ended and I'm a little sad and want to let my feels out with a sports au. Let me know in the comments.


	6. Because I'm Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally got to the art part. *face palms* You know how I said slow build? Ya that's gone to hell. Yes I am also late on updating but life is fucked ya know? Hope you did well on finals and had good holidays and now, happy new year. Enjoy reading and chapter 7 is going to be a fun one so hopefully I will have more motivation to update this quicker.

"We'll start off with an assignment. I want to see what you guys can do so basically this is open ended. Just make anything to prove to me that you can do more than a stick figure. Don't freak out over due date yet. Just get brainstorming."

 

Everyone immediately got to work. Sketchpads were pulled out and the scratching of pencils could be heard. The smell of the wood and graphite was a familiar one to Eren, making him feel at home. He stared at his blank paper. Too many ideas flooded his head, causing him to have none at all. He was at a loss for what to do. Pixis hadn't given them any requirements or rules other than to not draw stick men.

 

The rest of class was spent by Eren doing rough outlines of fan arts for many of his favorite anime and ultimately accomplishing nothing. He packed up and headed for the door. Time seemed to fly when he was drawing and the three hour class had passed by in an instant. Pulling out his phone he shot Armin a quick text.

 

Eren: Hey lets grab some lunch.

 

Armin: Ya sure. You've been MIA for the past few days. Panda Express?

 

Eren: Meet you there in 10.

 

He pulled his jacket around himself tighter as a particularly harsh breeze went by, stirring the autumn leaves. He walked across campus he felt a sense of ease. Watching everyone going on with their lives. He liked to observe.

 

Upon walking into the restaurant he was hit with the unmistakably scent of grease and cheap takeout but he loved it. He'd work it off later with Levi. Scanning for Armin he didn't see him and went ahead and got his food, finding a table. He was so absorbed in enjoying his orange chicken that probably wasn't chicken that he missed Armin coming in until the blonde sat directly across from him. Armin just looked at him expectantly.

 

"What?" Eren asked.

 

"Spill. All of it. I want the details." Armin laughed, prodding in the way only a best friend could.

 

"About what?" Eren asked, feigning innocence.

 

"Levi!" Armin shouted, earning a few glances their way. He knew how to make Eren talk.

 

"Okay, okay. Not so loud." Eren mumbled, Armin's plan succeeding. "Well I went over to his apartment Wednesday for a movie but it got late so I just stayed over. Thursday I missed my morning class so I just went to work later and then the gym. I just crashed at his place again after that. Then this morning I went to my art class. Satisfied?"

 

"No! Oh my gosh! You slept two nights in a row! Did you guys do anything?" Armin smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

 

"N-no!" Eren blushed, looking anywhere but his best friends face.

 

"Ah so you did! How was it? How far did you go? Was height a problem?" Armin shot off questions, enjoying the horrified expression that was threatening to become permanent on Eren's face if he didn't stop freaking out.

 

"We just kinda kissed and stuff..." Eren's face resembled a tomato at this point but Armin didn't mind, having seen it all. Eren hid his face in his arms, laying on the table in an attempt to become non existent. After a few minutes of Eren waiting for his embarrassment to fade, Armin waiting patiently, he was determined to go on the offensive.

 

"How are you and Erwin?" It was Armin's turn to become flustered.

 

"Umm...its good. This upcoming weekend there is going to be a concert. We're all going to go. I'm sure Levi was going to tell you about it soon enough."

 

"A concert? Who's playing?"

 

"Grimes. And Superhumanoids are going to open for her. Going to be one hell of a show." He smiled.

 

"How's Mikasa? I haven't seen her for a few days."

 

"Oh she's good. Her and her roommate Annie get along quite nicely if you know what I mean."

 

Eren raised his eyebrows at this. "And she's lecturing me about dating?" He scoffed.

 

They cleaned up their table and braced for the cold outside. It seemed the first snow wasn't far off. He had a full hour till his shift but Armin would keep him company and Petra could always use early help. As they walked Eren just admired the scenery. Fall was always so beautiful, like mother nature was trying to get in one last pop of color before the greys and blues of winter set in.

 

A crow dipped onto the sidewalk, pecking at the ground before taking flight into the clear sky. The orange tree's swayed in the wind, their brown trunks standing out starkly against the vibrant leaves. Despite the cold the sky was blue, the sun shining down.

 

The warm smells of coffee greeted them like an old friend when they walked into Rose Café. This place was quickly becoming like a second home to him.

 

He just walked behind the counter, slipping on his apron, surprising Petra. "I'm here early so I might as well help out." He said smiling.

 

Petra just smiled at him gratefully as a horde of students filed in. Armin took his new normal seat at the bar, next to Erwins', if Erwin were there.

 

He worked efficiently alongside Petra as they served customer after customer. Settling into a rhythm, they began talking but Eren couldn't help it as he began to drift away from the conversation and thinking about Levi.

 

"en-Eren!" Armin shouted, jolting Eren out of his own mind. "Hange and Erwin are here.

 

Indeed when he looked up he saw Erwin and Hange seated next to Armin.

 

"Hey guys. Where's Levi." Eren asked, as he moved to make their drinks out of habit.

 

"He's on his way." Hange said sniggering. Eren didn't know why she was laughing but he brushed it off as Hange just being Hange.

 

"Speak of the devil." Erwin interjected.

 

Levi walked in, his hair plastered to his forehead. Water droplets ran down in rivulets and pooled at his feet. Petra just ran for towels.

 

"It's fucking raining! The god's decided to take a piss the one time I choose to walk here!" He shouted, his slight frame shaking, whether from anger or cold Eren couldn't tell.

 

"I didn't even notice it was raining." Armin said.

 

"Oh Erwin and I saw it coming so we drove here." Hange smirked, her glasses glinting. She loved to fuck with Levi every once in awhile.

 

"You bitch." Levi deadpanned. Visibly turning to Eren he prompted the question, "Eren do you want to come to a concert with us next Saturday?"

 

Eren just stared at him. His mind blanked.

 

"Eren can I take you to the back real quick?" Levi didn't wait for an answer, hopping over the counter and grabbing Eren's wrist, leading them into the back where extra supplies were kept.

 

"Eren, what's wrong?" He said, expression worried.

 

"I-I just lose my words sometimes...when I umm, see you." Eren gestured with his hands, trying to convey his meaning.

 

Levi was struggling to convey his emotions as well, not used to opening up to people. He was growing increasingly frustrated, his anger with himself rising.

 

Eren just began to smile, happy it wasn't just him struggling.

 

"J'aime les yeux....et..."(I love your eyes...and...) Realizing he was no longer speaking English Levi stopped himself, glad Eren couldn't hear his rambling.

 

"Levi it's ok." Eren smiled. He boldly stepped up and pulled Levi in for a swift kiss. "Ich mag dich auch." (I like you too.)

 

"I'm sorry. Sometimes when I can't find my words I give up and French just comes out instead."

 

"I don't know, seeing you all flustered and French was probably the highlight of my day. I want to go to the concert with you."

 

Levi sighed in relief.

 

"It was just...the rain and you were soaked an-" Levi cut Eren off with another kiss.

 

"I get it. Let's head back so they don't think we're making out back here." He laughed.

 

They walked back out to find Hange screaming in excitement and Erwin just had his head in his hands, Petra doing damage control on customers unfortunate enough to have been in close enough vicinity to have their eardrums burst by Hange's voice climbing 8 octaves.

 

"Eren!" Hange shouted, turning to him as she slammed her hand into the counter. "Armin knows code and likes science!"

 

"Y-ya. Ever since we were kids."

 

"Hange, my eardrums can't handle anymore. Shut the fuck up!"

 

"Language Levi!"

 

"Hange for fuck's sake!" Erwin said, raising his head from the counter.

 

"It's normal for those three." Petra assured them.

 

Eren noticed customers waiting at the register. "Es tut uns lied!...uh I mean sorry!" He said, rushing to take their orders. Petra helping clean up his clumsy spills from being flustered.

 

Levi just sat pinching the bridge of his nose. Seeing Hange about to speak again he moved to put his hand over her mouth but for once he wasn't fast enough.

 

"Who knew both Levi and Eren loose all English abilities when flustered." She sniggered.

 

"Shut it shitty glasses."

* * *

 

It was beginning to get darker earlier and violet hues painted the sky. Eren and Armin were in no rush as they walked back to their dorm.

 

"He's good."

 

"What?"

 

"He's good for you, Levi I mean."

 

"Armin?...Thank you....for being my Hide to my Kaneki, my Killua to my Gon, my Yukine to my Yato, my-"

 

"Oh my god! Leave it to you to nerd out!" Armin said laughing, poking Eren.

 

"Says the computer science major!" Eren laughed.

 

They walked side by side, as they have their whole lives, even before Mikasa. Wind blew the leaves around them, a swirl of color in the ever increasing darkness. Night had fallen.

 

"Hey." Eren said, breaking the silence. "It's the weekend. Wanna watch a movie?"

 

"Ya, we can use my laptop."

 

The silence settled again and the dorm came into view. It had grown even colder since the sun had set.

 

"Come on let's get inside. It's way to cold outside." Armin ushered.

 

Once inside they got comfortable, laying in Armin's bed watching the movie Armin had picked out, The Imitation Game. Of course it had to do with computers and Germans. What more could they want?

 

Even though Armin picked the movie he fell asleep so Eren turned off the computer and he could feel his insomnia kicking in. Maybe he would go to Levi's. He didn't think he would mind and he found he slept better when with the raven. Shrugging on a jacket he headed out. He was glad he had Levi at times like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Feedback is always welcome. I was trying to work on my imagery in case you couldn't tell from how much I talked about the damn leaves. Next chapter will basically just be the concert.


	7. Because I'm Having Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Armin, Eren, and Levi's outfits are based off the amazing art of [bev nap](http://bev-nap.tumblr.com/image/129252082510)
> 
> This chapter is basically just the concert. The "set list" is:
> 
> opening band: Superhumanoids- 
> 
> Oh me I 
> 
> I want to believe 
> 
> Do you feel ok? 
> 
> Anxious in Venice 
> 
> Main Artist: Grimes- 
> 
> Genesis 
> 
> Oblivion 
> 
> Butterfly 
> 
> Nightmusic 
> 
> California 
> 
> Artangels 
> 
> *intermission* 
> 
> Circumambient 
> 
> Flesh without blood 
> 
> Crystal Ball 
> 
> Easily 
> 
> Colour of moonlight 
> 
> Realiti 
> 
> Pin 
> 
> Laughing and not being normal

Eren knocked on Levi's door but he could faintly hear music so he figured Levi couldn't hear him. He tested the door. Finding it unlocked he let himself in, hoping Levi didn't mind. Upon entering the apartment he found Levi in the center of his living room playing his violin. Lindsey Stirling's Crystallize was playing and Levi was playing the notes. The jet black violin went well with his fair features. His eyes were closed and his brow furrowed. He almost looked like he was in pain, but he also looked at peace.

 

Feeling like he was intruding he waited patiently by the door for Levi's mini concert to end. Whenever he came to the apartment he always saw the violin perched on a display stand but this was the first time he had seen it being used. The song ended and Eren knocked lightly on the door, letting Levi know he was there.

 

"How long have you been spying on me?"

 

"Over half the song." Eren said, used to Levi's dry humor and slightly pleased the raven didn't even question his presence at 1 am.

 

"Can't sleep?"

 

"Ya..." They moved to sit on Levi's ever immaculate couch, Eren's head automatically finding Levi's collarbone.

 

"I'm excited for the concert. Grimes is one of my favorite artists." Eren said, breaking the silence that had quickly fallen.

 

"Petra is coming too so that makes our group an even six. Hange wanted another girl to keep her company."

 

Silence fell again like a blanket but it was good, warm. He felt his eyelids grow heavy and his last thought was how his insomnia seemed to ebb away when he was with Levi.

* * *

"What the fuck do I wear!?" Eren shouted in exasperation. He had been throwing his clothes at Armin for the past twenty minutes. The concert was finally upon them and of course Eren hadn't planned in advance.

 

Ever prepared, Armin had picked out his outfit a few days prior. Eren analyzed Armin's outfit. He had on all black converse and black jeans rolled up a bit to show his ankles. A red belt provided a pop of color to offset his grey t shirt. A charcoal zip up hooded jacket with the arms bunched up finished the look.

 

"You look nice help!" Eren said, falling back onto his bed where Armin had happened to put all the clothes he had thrown at him. So much for Armin's folding job.

 

"I swear I am always taking care of your ass." Armin sighed, but he was smiling, happy to be of assistance.

 

He moved to Eren's closet and seeing it was virtually empty due to Eren, he moved to the bed where most of the brunettes clothes now resided.

 

"Alright...black skinny jeans..." He said, reacting under a sprawled out Eren to retrieve them. Eren got up and slipped into the jeans. "Also this." Armin said, throwing him a black t shirt with an abstract design of their schools symbol.

 

"A Scouting Legion shirt? Really?"

 

"Yes. Its abstract don't fuss. Put on your Doc Martens too." A leather jacket with a grey hood was thrown his way and just when he finished his phone buzzed.

 

"They're here." He and Armin practically ran down the stairs.

 

The Uber sat by the curb and Eren could see someone flailing around inside. 'No doubt it's Hange.'

 

They quickly hopped in and Erwin gave the information to the driver from the passenger seat. He was like the designated 'mom' friend.

 

"Heu guys! Ready to get turnt?" Hange squealed from the very back seat, a poor Petra seated next to her. Eren was surprised Petra still had her hearing.

 

"Hange's pregamed a bit in case you couldn't tell." Petra laughed.

 

"Oh we can tell. She's even more annoying than usual, which is worth a medal or something." Levi huffed.

 

Eren looked Levi up and down. He had on combat boots and black jeans and a light grey pullover with 'killer' written on the front. His grey beanie accentuated his neck and Eren smiled. They all looked great and this was one of the reasons he liked the cold weather. It meant boots, hoods, and beanies.

 

He was so busy looking at Levi he didn't realize they were at the club. He zoned out for that long.

 

Filing out he looked up. A neon green sign read the River Styx and music vibrations could already be felt from outside. Hange and Petra pushed their way to the front of their group of six and gave the bouncer all of their tickets. They all received a hand stamp. Eren looked at his and noticed the Greek symbol for beta. Hange and Petra had the symbol for alpha.

 

"Why is theirs better?" Eren pouted.

 

"They're girls. Alpha stamp means one free drink." Levi laughed.

 

"What's mine mean?"

 

"Yours means you're a guy, so tough shit." Erwin laughed as they headed for the bar lining the opposite wall. Neon blue lights rimmed the bar top and they all ordered shots of Vodka.

 

Shot number five and he was feeling warm. A raised platform was at the other end of the club and they made their way to it.

 

"It's open venue so lets get a good spot." Levi said as they all parked it by the front of the "stage".

 

After fifteen minutes of holding their spot while the girls ran back and forth between the bar getting them drinks the opening band came on. The music that was playing ceased and seamlessly transferred to Oh me I by Superhumaniods. The slow thrum had them all swaying instantly and Eren was happy the concert was off to a great start as this was one of his favorite songs by them.

 

_Everything implies that we're all going to die._

 

Levi looked at Eren with a question in his eyes as he moved closer to hover his hands over his hips.

 

"This ok?" He said close to Eren's ear so he could be heard.

 

"I suck at dancing." Eren replied back, blushing and thankful for the dark venue.

 

"Don't worry I'll help." Levi laughed.

 

Happy to have numbers in their group, they swayed as they created a small clearing in what seemed to be a dense forest of bodies. They had created a small little empty circle area where they were free to move and dance.

 

I want to believe began to play and the sensual rhythms matched Levi's movements as his hips lightly pressed into Eren from behind.

 

"Ok?" Levi said into his ear, warm breath tickling him.

 

"Lead me." Was Eren's only response.

 

The low beats were traded in for the higher ones of the song Do you feel ok?. They moved and swayed to the deep bass of the songs until Grimes walked out.

 

Neon lights gave the room an otherworldly feel as Grimes opened with one of Eren's favorite songs: Genesis. The whole atmosphere changed as everyone spun. Eren pulled away from Levi to just watch him. He bounced with Armin and gazed across their makeshift circle to Levi. He just liked watching him move. He was so graceful and he almost looked dangerous, like a wolf. Eren was convinced that if there were multiple lives then Levi was a wolf in his past life.

 

Levi had his hands raised over his head and he was mid turn, eyes raising to meet Eren's. The fringe of his black hair was splayed across his fair features. Silver irises looking an ethereal blue from the lighting, shadows dancing across his face.

 

Just then Hange grabbed his hand, breaking his reverie.  "I love this song!" She shouted. Eren hadn't even realized the song change to Oblivion. Everyone began to dance faster. Armin pulled his hood farther down, doing a small shuffle. Petra laughed and did small pirouette's around them. This earned them a wide berth and they all laughed, dancing and not caring.

 

The thumping bass didn't last long and Butterfly came on. the first song from her new album to be played all night. The whole club pulsed, everyone jumping. Hange had him by his wrists and they were bouncing up and down. Not only was the music amazing but so was the atmosphere, he was with friends...with _Levi_.

 

They bounced until Grimes took it upon herself to drastically switch the tone for Nightmusic, almost as if to tease them with her new album by only playing one song. Once more heavy bass sounded through the space as unintelligible lyrics were sung. Levi locked eyes with Eren and began to spin again, in what Eren and Armin had nicknamed "fae dancing" for lack of a better term.

 

Thinking of Armin, he looked over to find the usual shy blonde pulling moves around Erwin, who looked a bit lost. Noticing Eren was looking at them Levi came up behind his and murmured in his ear. "Eyebrows was never one for dancing." He laughed.

 

They finally got a lasting taste of her new album as the beat went back up with California, staying there for Artangels. Eren liked Artangels best because of the way the chorus was sung.

 

_I think I love you._

 

His eyes flicked to Levi's after those lyrics were sang and Eren did the only thing his brain could think to do as he short circuited which was grab Levi's hands and jump in an attempt to rid the strange and brief tension. The song was allowed to fade out as intermission hit. Hange and Petra were immediately off to grab them all drinks.

 

When they came back carrying Fireball Eren looked warily to Levi. "Here you go." Petra smiled as she helped pass them out. Eren just stared back at the cinnamon flavored whiskey. "Tastes like heaven burns like hell." Petra said, quoting the companies slogan.

 

Eren watched in awe as Levi threw back his shot. "The faster you swallow the better." Levi said, giving him an encouraging smile.

 

"I'll get you a free drink after." Hange said. With the promised land ahead (free drinks) he looked at the small glass with new found determination. The cool glass touched his lips and spicy cinnamon invaded his senses. The liquid fire poured down his throat and the only way he could describe it was that he felt like he just made out with a dragon. Hange, true to her word, got him another drink but he just passed it to Levi as Grimes made her way back out.

 

One of her lesser known songs Circumambient began to play but it got them all pumped again. Flesh without blood came next and he knew this one was Levi's favorite. He spent the rest of the concert at Levi's side until the resounding beats of Laughing and not being normal ended.

* * *

"That was so fun!" Hange said as their group stumbled out of the club to call their Uber. Eren couldn't remember the exact time Levi's arm had come around to hold his waist but he was glad because his balance was less than optimal at the moment.

 

The car showed up fairly quickly and they were thankful as the air was frigid. Piling in Eren snuggled further into Levi. They dropped off the girls first and then to Eren's surprise Armin went to get out with Erwin.

 

"I'm going to crash at Erwin's tonight." Armin said, sheepishly, blushing.

 

Once on the way to Levi's he prompted the question that had been bugging him since he got into the car.

 

"Le-" He didn't even finish the first word before he was cut off.

 

"Wanna spend the night?" Levi asked.

 

"Mhm."

 

The car pulled up and they paid with the money everyone had pitched in and they headed inside. With no one being home for a few hours the place was cold. Eren just watched as Levi milled around, turning on the heat and cleaning up even though the place was spotless. It occurred to Eren that maybe cleaning was a thing Levi did when he was nervous. But what was making him nervous?

 

"Levi...?"

 

"Hmm?" He didn't stop shifting the books on the coffee table.

 

"Levi, what's wrong?" That got him to freeze.

 

"I...I don't know...I just feel a bit off. It happens sometimes. Don't worry."

 

"D-did you not have fun?" Eren asked worried.

 

"N-no!" Levi said rushing to his side. "I just feel off when routine is interrupted. But I had fun!" He assured.

 

"How can I help?"

 

"Sit with me..?"

 

So they sat. Not sleeping and not talking...not watching the tv. Just sitting. The clock read 2:30 but neither moved. Still wired from the concert and each deep in though sleep seemed far away.

 

"He Levi..." Eren said, breaking the silence like a crescendo. "When was the last time you did graffiti."

 

Levi just stared ahead and he was scared maybe he pressed too far.

 

"Not since Isabel and Farlan."

 

"Mhmm." Eren hummed. Now content he burrowed into the slighter mans side.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed and thank you for putting up with my weird music taste. Also, hold on to your butts because a time jump is coming (aka I just wanna write Christmas and new years trash chapters). Feedback is always welcome.


	8. Because I Love You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys! Good lord has it been awhile. I have been extremely busy with my other fics and so this one kinda got put on hold. I was even considering putting it on hiatus, but I reread your comments on it and it gave me renewed vigor. So, have no fear this fic will continue. To help me in terms of updating the chapters will be wayyy shorter, like 1,000 words. That is one of the reasons I update so slowly is because I hand write my stories and then go back to type them so sitting down and typing out 12 written out pages is a hassle so expect shorter chapters, but hopefully more frequent updates.

The semester had gone by in a blur and Eren and Levi had spent rarely a second apart. Eren now sat in his dorm room alone as Armin was of course with Erwin. It seemed as if everything was falling into place. Ever since the concert he and Levi had been more and more intimate, though nothing past intense make out sessions. He smiled to himself as he thought of what was to come that night. It was spring break and so all students had to leave campus, as typical for all breaks, but of course he couldn't go back to his old house. Christmas break had been spent with at Jean's house with Mikasa and it had been good, but this time Eren wanted to be with Levi so he was going to stay at his apartment for the week. Eren couldn't be happier.

 

He picked up his small suitcase filled with everything he would need for the week. It was going to be nice to live somewhere else other than the tiny room, as great as dorm life was. He made his way down the hall and out to the car waiting for him. Jean, Mikasa, and Armin were already in the jeep, waiting for him. They promised to drop him off before heading to Jean's.

 

"Hey guys." He greeted as he got in.

 

"Hey." Mikasa smiled. He hadn't seen her everyday since they'd started school like he did when he lived with her but the distance was good. They had each had a chance to grow individually.

 

The sun was beginning to set as they pulled from the curb and the night sky was quickly upon them. Nightcall by Kavinsky came on and Eren laughed. The song was so ironic and completely fit the mood.

 

As the drove down the road Eren just watched the city go by as the lights came on, creating luminous blurs. He felt as if a new chapter in his life was just beginning. One that wasn't complete shit, dominated by bruises and tears.

 

They arrived at Levi's apartment and Eren stepped out. He looked back at Jean, smiling.

 

"Don't forget to use protection." Jean called teasingly. Eren blushed and just slammed the door shut, walking up to the gray building. He could still hear Armin laughing.

 

* * *

 

"Put your stuff in my room. I'm going to make dinner." Levi smiled. He was doing that more often...smiling, Eren noticed.

 

When Eren came back out to the kitchen Levi was in an adorable apron. He had his back to Eren as he peeled potatoes and Eren couldn't help himself. He walked up behind Levi and wrapped his arms around his waist, kissing the back of his neck. Eren pretended to not notice the adorable blush on Levi's cheeks.

 

"What're you making?"

 

"Potatoes au gratin." He smiled. "It's a French dish my mom always used to make. You like cheese right?"

 

"Love it."

 

"Good cause its basically all cheese." He smiled.

 

"Anything I can help you with?"

 

"Stand over there." Levi said, pointing to the across the island counter top. Eren moved over. "Good now look hot." He laughed as he began slicing the potatoes.

 

Eren laughed and jokingly bit his lip and looked at Levi through half lidded eyes, letting out a fake moan.

 

"Oh mon dieu!" (oh my god) Levi laughed as he threw a slice of potato at Eren.

 

"Oh god yes talk French to me!" Eren moaned again, jokingly as he fell across the counter.

 

"You're such a little shit." Levi laughed.

 

"But I'm your little shit."

 

That earned him a half hearted eye roll as Levi put the pan of food into the oven. He turned from the oven to find Eren right in front of him.

 

"Ere-" He was cut off as Eren crashed his lips to Levi's.

 

'Yes..' Eren thought. Life was definitely looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Chapters will be longer than this one (when I said short I didn't mean this short) but they will be shorter than before. I hope you enjoyed. Comments keep me going and feedback is always welcome. Until next time:)


	9. Because We Have Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys this might be the last update for a bit as I now am a week from finals and studying etc is getting insane. I just wanted to get this chapter up as it is crucial in terms of character development for Eren and I just wanted to recognize that a bit and delve further into it.

__The dinner had been good and they now lounged on the couch. Some cheesy movie was on that Eren couldn't bother to follow but now he was acutely aware of the fact that they were alone. Sure they had been alone many times before this but now it had a different feel.

The clock read 11:30.

"Would you like to head to bed?" Levi asked hesitantly.

"Mhm." Eren nodded in affirmation as he covered his nerves. The untangled their limbs as they stood up and Eren went to Levi's bathroom to change.

Once the door was closed behind him he rested his hands on the counter to collect himself. It wasn't the first time he had slept with Levi in his bed. It felt different this time though. Classes were over for the next week and Eren had no obligations to take him from Levi. They could lay in bed all day if they wanted.

He quickly changed into night clothes and once he exited the bathroom he found Levi already crawling into bed as well.

Eren followed Levi in and they curled around each other, hands pressed to chests. "Levi...I-goodnight."

Levi blinked at him confusedly from the slight stutter but quickly recovered.

"Bon nuit." (Goodnight)

Levi turned out the lights and light breathing fell around them. He felt Levi's hand move from his own chest down to Eren's waist.

"This ok?" Levi asked in a quiet voice as if he didn't want to shatter the silence.

Instead of verbal response Eren just lay his hand on top of Levi's, pulling it tighter to himself. He'd never been this intimate with anyone before but he felt comfortable with Levi. He didn't know how to express he was ready...was Levi ready? Did he even want to do this with Eren? Doubts flooded through his mind and Eren had to remind himself that Levi's hand was just resting on his hip. There was no need to analyze further into their physical contact.

It left him thinking however. When was it time to think about that. Was that even a 'requirement' to dating. How does one start that type of conversation with their partner. New thoughts flooded his head and Eren instinctively pushed into Levi. Harder than expected.

"Hey...you ok?" Levi asked, shifting away from Eren as if to see his face even though it was dark.

Eren figured what better time to bring up the subject than now, before he lost his nerve or his late night boldness wore off.

"Levi...how do you feel about...taking..." It was hard for Eren to get the words out as heat pooled in his cheeks. "taking our contact further?"

He tried to use indirect and considerate wording but it just came out awkward to his own ears.

"As in sex?" Levi bluntly asked.

Eren just nodded and hoped Levi felt the shift of his head so he wouldn't have to voice it.

"I'm ready but I don't want you to feel pressured in any way. I'm not requiring it of you and I won't love you any less."

The words had slipped out before either of them could comprehend them and if the lights were on Eren would've been able to see Levi's eyes go wide.

Love.

He said he loved Eren.

"S-say I was ready..." Eren started. "H-how would we..." He trailed off, unwilling to finish that sentence.

"Well...what would you prefer?"

Eren sat in silence for a moment, just thinking. He didn't like being pinned down. It was uncomfortable to him and reminded him of...Grisha.

"I-I'm not sure."

"And that's ok." Levi assured as he lightly kissed the top of Eren's head. Eren could feel his cold feet pressing into his cold calves.

Harmony.

Somehow the darkness and late hour made it easier to confess how he felt to Levi, even if he was still stuttering and fumbling a bit.

"I'd like to try...this week if that's ok?"

"Mhm." Levi acknowledged. "Don't feel pressured. If we don't get to it this week we have all the time in the world later. And if you feel you never want to..we don't have to." Levi said, his voice growing ever quieter as his sentences went on until it was a near whisper at the end.

The window was open and the faint sounds of the city could be heard outside. Spring breeze flowed in and occasionally a car whirred by.

Time.

They had all the time in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed and as always feedback is welcome!


	10. Because I'm Ready

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys it's been forever. My past school year was real rough and my grades weren't the best so I had to take some time for that. Also I have two other fics going on at the moment. But now I'm back hopefully. Also enjoy some fluff because I'm guilty for being gone so long.

Eren woke to the smell of breakfast. He stumbled into the kitchen to find Levi in nothing but boxers and an apron tied around his waist. He was pouring coffee and Eren decided it was too good to resist. He snuck up silently and right as he was about to wrap his arms around Levi, the raven spoke up.

"I see you."

Eren deflated with a low chuckle.

"Just because the Germans snuck up on the French once, doesn't mean it'll happen again." Levi joked.

"Ohoo? Just once?" Eren laughed.

"Shut up." Levi finally turned around and placed a kiss to Eren's forehead, granted he had to stand on the tips of his toes. A warm mug of coffee was placed in the brunettes hands as Levi skittered around him to his plate of food resting on the island. An identical plate waited for Eren on the other side and he heartily began to dig in. He blushed when he caught Levi staring and began to slow down how quickly he was shoveling food into his mouth. Levi really was a good cook though. He watched as the raven pulled off the apron.

When they finished up Eren joked, "So now I see it's not just a stereotype that French are good cooks."

"Oh no, Isabel was horrible at cooking. Not that we cooked often back then." Levi had a small smile and his eyes glassed over. Eren could tell he wasn't really thinking about the present very much anymore, but rather taking a trip to the past. Eren waited for Levi to come back, taking the time to gaze at his features. The sharp brows and steel eyes. The defined nose. Eren couldn't decided which he liked best. Levi caught him staring and Eren blushed.

"S-sorry."

"You can stare." Levi joked as he moved around the island. He grabbed Eren by the wrist and lead him to the couch. Levi pulled Eren on top of him as they lay down on the couch. Eren immediately blushed. No matter how many months he has dated Levi, he still turns crimson at their actions.

"Ça va?" (All good?) Levi asked.

"Ja." (Yea) Eren smiled, still blushing as he played along with Levi's language game. Over the past few months it became a thing they did. Eren was starting to pick up easy French and the same went for Levi with German, but for the most part, they didn't understand each other. Eren liked it that way though. He liked when Levi spoke in French because it just sounded like pretty syllables.

He was brought back from his sense of hearing by his sense of touch when he felt Levi's hands come to rest on his hips. He was pressed close to Levi and their legs lay entwined. His hands rested on Levi's shoulders and he couldn't raise up to see the brunette from his position so he brought his legs up to straddle Levi's waist. Realizing the now awkward position he blushed red again.

"Doucement." (Slowly) Levi assured. He rubbed circles into Eren's hips and he couldn't help the sigh of content that left his lips. Sunlight filtered in from the windows and Levi made a soft noise that got Eren's attention. It didn't seem to be voluntary however and Eren let out a light laugh.

"What?" Levi huffed, pink dusting his cheeks. Clearly he was embarrassed.

Eren decided now was a good time to surprise Levi so he bent over quickly and kissed him. Electricity shocked him when their lips connected. Warmth flooded through him and he suddenly felt touch starved. It was a new feeling to him as throughout most of his life he shied away from people touching him but now he felt he couldn't get enough. Then again, maybe it was just Levi he wanted to touch. Levi's tongue pushed into his mouth and he moaned.

'Yup just Levi.' He thought.

Levi's hands moved onto the curve of his ass. He held in his gasp as Levi pressed him down into his lap further. They broke the kiss and held their lips suspended just out of reach of the other. Their breath came out a bit heavier.

"Ich kann nicht glauben, dass du mein bist." (I can't believe you're mine/ I can't believe I can call you mine) Eren breathed into Levi's mouth.

A small smile ghosted onto Levi's lips and his grey eyes focused on Eren's lips. "I don't know what you just said but say it again. Eren flushed, not thinking Levi would ask him to repeat.

"I-I can't believe I can call you mine." He fumbled, voice soft.

Levi's eyes went wide and then they closed, his brows furrowing. Worried he'd said something wrong Eren opened his mouth to try to amend things. Levi beat him to it however.

"Tu es mon tout" (you're my all) Levi answered.

"No fair I don't understand." Eren smiled.

"You're my all." Levi smiled at the reaction Eren gave. He was beaming. Levi flipped them over, hugged Eren to his body as they turned. He clung on like a koala.

"Ah Levi!" Eren clung on harder as the raven haired man flung the brunette into the couch. Levi pushed up Eren's shirt and began to blow onto his stomach making Eren laugh.

"No! No ahhhh!" Eren laughed as the cold air tickled him. Suddenly he felt Levi's tongue on his stomach. The warm tongue dipped into the curves of his abs and then cold air blew over him again. He shrieked. "Ah I take it back you're horrible!" Eren joked.

In response Levi slid up Eren's body again till they were face to face. He stared into Eren's eyes expressionless and Eren could only stare back. After a few tense seconds he moved. "Boo!"

"AHHH!" Eren shouted, automatically clinging to Levi's shoulders and burying his face just under Levi's jaw.

"Yea, definitely horrible." He confirmed.

Levi sighed in contentment. "Je t'aime."

"I love you too." Eren sighed. It felt so right he didn't even question that they had just said those heavy words between them. In fact, the words felt light.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and as always I love comments. Feel free to visit me at my tumblr bluewire13.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it. I apologize if it was bad, I have just started writing. Leave your ideas and criticism below. Thanks for reading. I will try to upload a new chapter once a week.


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